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Ovarian Cancer: Know the Signs!

Until recently, ovarian cancer was known as a "silent killer" that presents no clear warning signs until it has already progressed to an advanced (and far less treatable) stage.  

  • While the mortality rates for many forms of cancer are decreasing, ovarian cancer remains highly fatal. While it accounts for about 3% of all cancers in women, ovarian cancer causes more deaths than any other cancer of the female reproductive system.
  • Ovarian cancer is so deadly because it is typically diagnosed in a very late stage. Most (about 80%) cases of ovarian cancer are diagnosed after the cancer has already metastasized (spread beyond the ovaries into the body). When ovarian cancer is diagnosed in a later stage, the five-year survival rate is about 30%. When ovarian cancer is detected and treated in earlier stages, the likelihood of surviving five years after diagnosis is far more optimistic – more than 90%.
  • There is currently no reliable, routine screening tool available to diagnose ovarian cancer in patients before outward symptoms (such as detectable masses) present.
  • Pap smears do not test for ovarian cancer. These tests indicate the presence of abnormal cells of the cervix, not of the ovaries.
  • Healthcare providers may be able to detect ovarian masses through routine pelvic examinations. However, by the time an ovarian tumor grows large enough to be felt, the cancer may already be in an advanced stage and have spread beyond the ovaries.

In the absence of routine screening tests, it was believed that little could be done to diagnose – and treat – ovarian cancer in a more survivable stage.

Until now. In 2007, leading experts on cancers of the female reproductive system released the Ovarian Cancer Symptoms Consensus Statement. The Consensus Statement outlines four primary symptoms that may signal the presence of early-stage ovarian cancer, even before a tumor can be felt. (The Consensus Statement also lists additional symptoms that are sometimes associated with ovarian cancer, but are not as relevant in helping to detect the disease.)

The primary symptoms outlined in the Consensus Statement include:

  • Unusual bloating.
  • Unusual pain in the abdominal or pelvic area.
  • Unusual difficulty while eating, or feeling full quickly.
  • Unusual urgency to urinate, or having "to go" frequently.

Many women experience these kinds of symptoms on a regular basis, and they are most often caused by less serious conditions. But if a woman experiences symptoms that are new or unusual for HER body, become more severe, or occur almost daily for more than a few weeks, or if she experiences more than one of these symptoms at the same time, she should consult her healthcare provider without delay.

Until a cure is found. The Ovarian Cancer Symptoms Consensus Statement has provided women and their physicians with a new tool in the fight against ovarian cancer. While medical and research professionals are continuing to seek more definitive ways to detect ovarian cancer earlier, the Consensus Statement provides women and their healthcare team with more direction than they have had in the past.

Since 2008, the Saint Alphonsus Foundation Women's Healthcare Fund has worked to increase awareness of the symptoms that may signal the early onset of this deadly, but potentially survivable, disease. As your partner in health, Saint Alphonsus encourages all women to:

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