Ovarian Cancer - What you should know
Women presenting with ovarian cancer have the highest risk of death of any type of cancer.
Whilst many more women are diagnosed with breast cancer, recovery rates are much lower for ovarian cancer. 70% of all women with ovarian cancer will die within 5 years of first diagnosis, mostly due to the late detection of the cancer. Whilst generally considered an older woman’s illness, ovarian cancer is also prevalent in teenagers and women in their 20’s and 30’s. Although it is curable if diagnosed early, ovarian cancer remains the most lethal female reproductive tract cancer because there is no early detection screening test available for this disease.
The Statistics
12 women die every hour worldwide from Ovarian Cancer
1 woman in Australia dies every 11 hours of Ovarian Cancer
230,000 women worldwide will be newly diagnosed with the disease each year
1200 women in Australia will be newly diagnosed with the disease each year – 800 of these women will die
Ovarian cancer is the most serious and life-threatening of all reproductive tract cancers in developed nations and is the fifth most common cause of cancer-related deaths in women in Australia. As there are no overt symptoms of disease, most women (70-75%) are diagnosed with ovarian cancer at an advanced stage where the chances of survival are greatly diminished.
ONE out of every TWO women who develop ovarian cancer will not survive. Unlike breast and cervical cancers, there is NO screening test for the early detection of ovarian cancer. Despite recent progress in chemotherapeutic treatments, the diagnosis of advanced stage disease is associated with a 5-year survival of only 25-30%. In contrast, when ovarian cancer is identified at an early stage, 5-year survival is 85-90%.
Symptoms
Ovarian cancer causes few, if any, noticeable symptoms in its early stages. Any that do occur can be vague and can often be mistaken for other conditions.
These “vague” symptoms can include:
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pelvic or abdominal pain or discomfort
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a feeling of fullness
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bloating
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abdominal swelling
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vague but persistent digestive disturbances
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unexplained weight gain or weight loss
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loss of appetite
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backache
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increased frequency of urination
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painful intercourse
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diarrhoea
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constipation or both
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unusual vaginal bleeding.
Who is at risk?
Ovarian cancer is more likely to occur in women who:
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Are over 40
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Have never been on the contraceptive pill
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Have had few or no pregnancies
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Have a family cancer history, particularly, breast, ovarian or bowel
Most women who present with this disease will generally be over the age of 55, but it can affect girls/women from all types of socio-economic and ethnic backgrounds as young as 11 years of age. Women affected come from all types of socio-economic and ethnic backgrounds.
The devastating impact this disease has on women in our community, their families and their children could be prevented by the development and implementation of a community-based screening test for the detection of early stage ovarian cancer.
Current Practice for Detecting Ovarian Cancer
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Periodic, complete pelvic examinations and ultrasound
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CA125 blood test – used as an aid to confirm diagnosis and misses 50% of early stage disease
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Diagnostic tests
However, these tools are only partially effective and do not reach the standards of accuracy required for effective community screening. Ovcare's work aims to move towards a more effective method of testing to ensure early detection of this devastating disease.