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In its early stages, ovarian cancer has subtle symptoms and can be difficult to detect. Ovarian cancer cells multiply quickly and can spread to nearby tissue.
Ovarian cancer is most often diagnosed in older adults but can affect anyone with an ovary — the organ about the size of an almond that releases eggs into the fallopian tubes.
Cancer on the surface of the ovaries — the epithelia — is the most common type of ovarian cancer. Ovarian epithelial cancer, fallopian tube cancer and primary peritoneal cancer are all very similar and treated similarly. Ovarian germ cell tumors and ovarian low malignant potential tumors are less common.
If you’ve had persistent bloating and pain in the pelvis and lower abdomen pain, talk to your gynecologist or other medical provider. When the cancer is caught while still confined to the ovaries, nearly 92% of ovarian cancer patients live more than five years after diagnosis. The five-year survival rate for all ovarian cancer patients is almost 51%, according to the National Cancer Institute.
Ovarian cancer symptoms are easy to overlook or attribute to more common and less dangerous conditions.
Some signs and symptoms of ovarian cancer, which you should discuss with your health care provider, include:
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The cause of epithelial ovarian cancer isn’t known, but several factors have been identified that increase your risk for the disease. According to the American Cancer Society, you face an increased risk of developing epithelial ovarian cancer if the following apply. These risk factors don’t apply to the less common ovarian germ cell tumors and stromal tumors that develop in the connective tissue.
If you think you may be at risk of having the higher-risk genes, talk to your gynecologist or other health care provider about whether you should pursue genetic testing.
Risk of ovarian cancer decreases with each full-term pregnancy, with those who carried a pregnancy to term before age 26 having a lower risk. Breastfeeding may help as well.
Oral contraceptives, or birth control pills, and hysterectomy also reduce ovarian cancer risk.
If you’ve been diagnosed with ovarian cancer, you want to start getting better right away. That’s why we offer same-day appointments for newly diagnosed patients.
The board-certified and fellowship-trained specialists at Norton Cancer Institute are at the forefront of new ovarian cancer treatments. You’ll have a one-on-one relationship with your gynecologic oncologist, surgeon, radiation oncologist or other specialist. The next cancer doctor you see will be either someone you know or someone you’ll be seeing again who knows your case.
Norton Cancer Institute has multiple outpatient clinic locations and chemotherapy infusion centers in the Louisville area, including Southern Indiana. We have three radiation centers located just off major interstates with free self-service parking and valet parking.
Detecting ovarian cancer in the early stages is difficult, because its symptoms also can be a sign of far less serious conditions. If you regularly experience symptoms like those associated with ovarian cancer for more than a few weeks, discuss them with your health care provider.
Work continues on a reliable screening test that can detect ovarian cancer in its earliest stages. While that research is pursued, providers have a number of options that aren’t as reliable as other cancer screenings such as a mammogram or colonoscopy.
A Pap test collects cells from your cervix and isn’t a reliable way to detect ovarian cancer.
Current methods include:
Pelvic exam. Your provider will examine the ovaries and uterus for size and consistency. Your provider might be able to detect a tumor during a pelvic exam, but most ovarian cancers are difficult or impossible to feel at an early stage.
Transvaginal ultrasound. This test uses sound waves, emitted from a wand inserted through the vagina, to look at gynecologic organs, including the ovaries, and detect tumors. Transvaginal ultrasound cannot tell whether a tumor is cancer or is a benign cyst and can lead to a false positive.
The accuracy of transvaginal ultrasound is improving. If a tumor is detected, one option for OB/GYNs is to monitor the growth at one- to three-month intervals for any changes. If the mass grows over time, it needs to be removed surgically. If the growth stays the same or shrinks, monitoring can continue without treatment.
CA-125 blood test. Many with ovarian cancer have high levels of CA-125 protein in their blood. However, other conditions that cause high CA-125, such as endometriosis, liver cirrhosis or pelvic inflammatory disease. The test is most useful to determine whether treatment is working in diagnosed patients.
Norton Cancer Institute uses advanced testing options to help your specialist determine a care plan and tailor it for you based on the stage of your ovarian cancer stage and your treatment goals. Your comprehensive care team of physicians and other health care providers meets regularly to review your case and plan the next steps.
Our state-of-the-art treatments include immunotherapy. We can provide a unique targeted therapy designed specifically to combat the genetic makeup of your tumor.
The first step in ovarian cancer treatment is typically surgical removal of the uterus, ovaries, cervix and fallopian tubes. The next step is typically chemotherapy.
Some patients may be eligible for a clinical trial. These experimental treatments are sponsored by the National Cancer Institute and the drug industry. Our providers are often principal investigators in clinical trials. They are helping find new treatments, and because they were involved in cancer research, they are among the most experienced once a new therapy is approved for wider use.