According to the specialists, ovarian cancer has a high death risk due to its late diagnosis rates. Women who are tested positive for the illness wait too long to consult a doctor, ignoring their symptoms. That is why an awareness campaign detailing ovarian cancer symptoms has begun.
Dr. David Fishman, director of the center of gynecologic oncology at new Presbyterian/Queens – New York Hospital declared that in the majority of cases, ovarian cancer is diagnosed too late, the patient having fewer survival chances.
“It’s important for women to know their risk of contracting this deadly disease, and its earlier warning signs,” Fishman declared.
According to the statistics, every woman is at risk of developing the illness, and one in seventy-five will have to fight with the disease at some point in her life. Every year over 250,000 women are diagnosed with ovarian cancer, the condition proving fatal for more than 140,000.
Ovarian Cancer Symptoms
Also dubbed the “silent killer,” ovarian cancer comes with mild symptoms in its early stages, most of them being easily mistaken for signs of fatigue, menopause, or the ovarian cysts.
According to Fishman, women should be alerted if they often experience the following symptoms:
- Indigestion;
- Bloating;
- Nausea;
- Pain in the back and abdomen;
- Frequent urination;
- A sensation of feeling full after a small meal;
- Shortness of breath;
- Weight gain.
The specialist is advising all women who experience a part of these symptoms for more than a week to check with their gynecologist as soon as possible.
If detected early, ovarian cancer has high rates of survival. In stage one, when the cancerous cells are found only in the ovary, the average survival rate is of over 90 percent. However, the more advanced the condition is, the lower the survival odds get.
It’s important to mention that a clean pap test only clears the patient from the probability of developing cervical cancer, not ovarian cancer. That is why Fishman is trying to stress out the importance of being on a lookout for the symptoms mentioned above and getting periodical check-ups.
Other Risk Factors
Women that battled other types of cancer, especially breast cancer are more prone to develop cervical cancer. Moreover, infertility, gene mutations, obesity, early menstruation, age are important factors that must be taken into consideration.
Factors That Can Reduce Risks
In order to avoid the condition, women are advised to adopt a healthy lifestyle that includes a low-fat diet, giving birth naturally, undergoing tubal ligation surgery, and using birth control medication. Furthermore, patients that are tested positive for the BRCA gene mutation can opt for a surgical removal of their fallopian tubes and ovaries.
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