DETECTING OVARIAN CANCER For the first
time, cancer experts are advising women of certain symptoms that might alert them to ovarian cancer, a medically infamous “silent killer” that is hard to spot early and is one of the deadliest tumors. Suddenly experiencing weeks of bloating, the need to urinate frequently, eating changes and abdominal or pelvic pain-either one of these or combination could be a tip-off to early ovarian cancer, according to cancer expert. The American Cancer Society and other organizations have released a consensus statement listing the symptoms. Historically, doctors have believed there are no early signs of ovarian cancer. “There’s this myth about ovarian cancer being silent and people saying there’s nothing you can do about it. Well, that’s simply not true anymore,” said Dr Barbara Goff, a University of Washington cancer specialist.
There is no early screening test; a regular pelvic exam is considered the main way to detect the cancer early. The cancer society wrote the consensus statement along with the
Gynaecologic Cancer Foundation and the Society of Gynaecologic Oncologists. Expert say women should see their doctor if they experience any of these symptoms daily for at least there weeks:
• boating,
• pelvic or abdominal pain,
• difficult eating or feeling full quickly, and
• frequent or urgent urination
But the guidelines are problematic, said Debbie Saslow, the society’s director of breast and gynaecologic cancer. Many women with these symptoms are more likely to have irritable bowel syndrome than ovarian cancer, she said. Also, there are no highly accurate tests to clearly confirm ovarian cancer at such an early stage. That means pursuing the symptoms as a harbinger of ovarian cancer may, in some cases, lead to biopsies and other treatment that will do more harm than good. But expert decide to issue the statement anyway, because studies by Goff have indicated the sudden appearance of these symptoms in healthy women maybe an important indicator. Doctors said they expect media coverage of the guidelines will unleash a flood of queries from nervous women. “I would expect an increase in calls from people wanting to find out what is the cause of their symptoms. But if a patient is properly evaluated, it should not lead to an undue increase in diagnostic testing,” said Dr George Mussalli, chairman of the obstetrics and gynaecology departments at St Vincent’s Hospital, Manhattan.
Proper evaluation includes asking whether a woman has a family history of breast or ovarian cancer or has tested positive for a genetic mutation associated with those conditions, said Jane Langridge, who heads the National Ovarian Cancer Coalition, an advocacy group in the United States. Women should initially b evaluated by
gynaecologist, but they should go to a specialist in gynaecologist cancers if more testing and treatment is contemplated. Doctors check for ovarian cancer with ultrasound, a blood test and an exam in which a doctor feels for a mass. Unfortunately, none are considered highly accurate. The blood test, which checks for a protein that can indicate ovarian cancer is particularly problematic, some doctors said. In premenopausal women, it’s almost useless. So, many factors can elevate it. It’s important that more women and their doctors practice vigilance. Among cancers, ovarian is the fifth leading killer women.
Lung cancer is no 1, accounting for more than a quarter of all female cancer deaths. Cancers of the breast, colon and rectum, and pancreas also kill more women. Survival rate vary by age: women younger than 65 are about twice as likely to survive at least five years after diagnosis. The overall survival rate is 76 per cent after one year and 45 per cent after five years. Survival rate are much higher if the cancer is caught at an early, localized stage, but only one in five ovarian cancers are detected at that point, according to the cancer society.