New Ovarian Cancer Symptom Guidelines May Help with Early Detection

Ovarian cancer is one of the most difficult female cancers to find early. The symptoms are often vague, illusive, or nonexistent until the cancer has spread beyond the ovary and into the abdominal cavity. As a result, only 45% of all women with the disease survive at least five years after diagnosis.

When ovarian cancer is found early enough to be surgically removed before spreading, as in only 19% of cases, some 93% of patients are alive five years later. This year about 22,430 new cases are expected to be diagnosed and more than 15,000 women will die of the disease.

Recently, cancer experts identified a set of health problems that could be early symptoms of ovarian cancer. They urge women who have these symptoms consistently for more than a few weeks to see their doctors. Ovarian cancer grows so rapidly that even a few months’ delay can mean the difference in survival. Tumors can spread quickly to the intestines, liver, diaphragm, and other organs.

Potential warning symptoms are bloating, pelvic or abdominal pain, difficulty eating, feeling full quickly, and frequent urges to urinate. A woman experiencing any of those problems almost every day for three weeks is urged to see a gynecologist, especially if these symptoms are new or markedly different from the usual. We aren’t talking about transient bloating that often accompanies menstruation or a lifelong history of indigestion. A bladder infection that persists after treatment would be a cause for concern.

Ovarian Cancer

Too often, women with advanced ovarian cancer were originally given a wrong diagnosis, such as depression or irritable bowel syndrome. Some are told they are just growing old or going through the change of life. It is important to be persistent and seek out a specialist if your concerns are dismissed by your general practitioner.

Any woman with persistent symptoms as cited should see a gynecologist for a pelvic and rectal exam. A doctor can feel the ovaries through the rectum. A transvaginal ultrasound to check ovaries for abnormal growths, and a CA125 tumor marker blood test are also steps that can be taken to get an accurate diagnosis.

Anyone with suspicious findings on tests should be referred to a gynecologic oncologist, a surgeon who specializes in female reproductive system cancers. The woman may be monitored for a while or advised to undergo a CT scan or MRI. When cancer is strongly suspected, urgent surgery should be done. Needle biopsies cannot be done as in breast cancer, as any escaping cancer cells could spread the malignancy throughout the abdomen. The entire ovary or abnormal growth on it must be removed and the rest of the abdomen be examined for cancer.

When more extensive cancer is found, the gynecologic oncologist removes as much cancerous tissue as possible while the patient is still on the operating table. When such “debulking” is done, followup chemotherapy works better and improves survival.

In the absence of a definitive screening tool or test to find ovarian cancer before it has symptoms, women need to be vigilant and see their doctors for any persistent symptoms identified recently as early signs of the disease.