Ovarian Cancer is a women’s disease and it is on the rise. We as women have to take care of ourselves every single day. Even though no matter how much health food we eat and how much we exercise unfortunately, sometimes it’s not enough.
Ovaries are reproductive glands that produce the egg. There is one ovary on each side of the uterus in the pelvis. The egg travels through the fallopian tube and fertilizes into a baby. Ovarian Cancer begins in the ovaries. Many tumors can develop in the ovaries. Most of these are non cancerous, they can be removed by removing part of the ovary, the tumor or the ovary itself. If it is a cancerous tumor it can spread throughout the body and can be more complicated.
Your ovaries have three kinds of tissue:
Epithelial cells that cover the ovary.
Germs cells which are found in the ovary and develop into eggs that are released into the fallopian tube that are released every month.
Stromal cells which develops most of the female’s hormones estrogen and progesterone.
Tumors are named depending on which cells the tumor came from. It could be benign (no cancerous) and cancerous. There three ways to tell what kind of tumor it is by checking all three of tissues.
The Epithelial tumor covers most of the ovary. Most tumors that are found turn out to be this tumor.
The Germ cell tumor comes from part where the eggs develop in the ovary.
Stromal cell tumor comes from the connective tissue that holds the ovaries together.
Epithelial tumors usually do not spread and or lead to serious illness. Malignant tumors are cancerous and can spread to certain parts of the body. Noncanerous tumors are different from malignant cancer they do not grow into the connective tissue and to the stomach. The benign tumor can develop at a young age and even though it can be life-threatening, in most cases it is not. Epithelial ovarian cancer is called carcinomas. 85%-90% of ovarian cancer is epithelial. Here are the different types of ovarian cancer.
Fallopian tube cancer- Is very rare; it usually carries the same symptoms as ovarian cancer. It starts in the tube which carries the egg from the ovary to the uterus. The survival rate is about the same also.
Germ Cell Tumor- The germ cells form the eggs. Some tumors of this sort can be benign. Sometimes it can be life-threatening, only 5% of germ cell tumors are ovarian cancer.
Teratoma- Are germ cell cancers, they are the most common cancers. They usually affect women in their forties and teens, it is called a dermoid cyst, because it looks like skin. It can have different types of tissues like bones, hair and teeth. It can be removed by surgery.
Dysgerminoma- Is a common cancer as well. It affects women in their twenties and teens. It usually is cancerous; some do not grow or grow to fast. About 75% of patients have surgery to remove the ovary if it has spread.
Stromal Tumors- Are mostly found in women in their fifties. These tumors make up about 5%-7% of ovarian cancer. 5% of young girls develop this tumor. The symptoms are abnormal vagina bleeding, something like a period occurring after menopause. This happens because the tumor may cause female hormones; it can also cause breast development and early menstruation in girls.
Ovarian Cysts- Are a build up of fluid in the ovaries. They are usually not life-threatening in women that are ovulating and not going through menopause. If it produces while you are going through menopause and in a girl who has not started having her periods being concerned maybe an option. Your doctor will want to do a check-up after your cycle if you have a cyst. The doctor might want to wait a few months to see if it will go away. The only way to tell if the cyst is malignant, they will have to take it out and examine it. Some cancers can be treated with surgery, chemotherapy, and medications.
Be healthy, know your body and get regular check-ups.
Health and You
Archive for the ‘Ovarian cancer’ Category
Understanding Ovarian Cancer
August 16th, 2009 
admin Ovarian Cancer – Effective Treatments For Ovarian Cancer
August 14th, 2009 admin Ovarian cancer is one of the leading causes of deaths for women. And this cancer as well is the second most commonly diagnosed gynecologic malignancy in women. What causes this cancer isn’t completely known and based on some studies; the prevalence of this cancer is evident in industrialized nations with exception of Japan.
As the women grows older, the higher the risk of having ovarian cancer. Also the risk of having this cancer is influenced by a number of factors. For example, the number of children a woman has will have an influence if she will have the cancer. Other factors involved include early age of first pregnancy and the woman’s age on her last pregnancy. If the woman uses just a low dose of hormonal contraception, then this can lead to a protective effect. It has been noted as well that the chances of having ovarian cancer is reduced right after tubal ligation.
Aside from the use of contraceptives and ages of child bearing there are other factors that influence the probability of having the cancer. These factors include talc and asbestos exposure, the high dietary fat content and childhood mumps. Alcohol consumptions are also being investigated and the genetic factors as well. But according to American Cancer Society, there is no exact way of knowing if a person has ovarian cancer.
The Cancer Society admits that there are no true tests around that can detect this cancer at its earliest stage. In the absence of a test that can help doctors verify if indeed one person has the cancer, an exploratory surgical procedure is often made. This exploratory procedure is known as the laparotomy. During laparotomy, the cysts and other suspicious materials in the area are removed and then these are biopsied. If the doctor noticed that the lesion is cancerous, then the surgeon in charge will have to continue with the process called surgical staging in order for the surgeon to know how fast the cancer has spread.
Treatment For Ovarian Cancer
This cancer is often called as a silent killer since the symptoms that are associated with this cancer are not expected or not thought to develop until the advanced stages of the disease. When the disease is at its initial stage or already full-blown, a number of treatments can be used to address the cancer. One important treatment is thru surgery. This kind of treatment will do for the malignant tumors that are differentiated and are located at the ovary. For the more aggressive tumors, chemotherapy may be needed with surgery. If the cancer is at its advanced stage, the treatment will be a combination of chemotherapy and surgery is needed.
The choice of chemotherapy is the choice of standard care for patients who have this cancer. This is also used after surgery in order to treat any residual disease. Often chemotherapy is performed first just before the actual surgery and this depends on the histology of the tumor. Radiation therapy is a form of treatment as well but this kind of treatment is not effective on the cancer’s advanced stages.
Posted in Ovarian cancer 
Tags: American Cancer Society, Cysts, Lesion, Ovarian cancer, Tubal Ligation 
No Comments »Ovarian Cancer Symptoms
August 14th, 2009 admin The symptoms of ovarian cancer can appear months before the cancer is found. Unless a woman is getting the tests that would reveal the cancer these symptoms many times wont be diagnosed. This alone is one of the problems with detecting ovarian cancer in its early stages. The symptoms of ovarian cancer are quite often dismissed due to the fact that they can be rather benign.
Stomach swelling and digestive problems for instance which are common symptoms of the presence of ovarian can be easily dismissed and ignored. Stomach problems are something everyone experiences at various times in their life. Ovarian cancer afflicts more than twenty-two- thousand women annually in the U.S. If caught in the early stages this cancer is treatable as goes for many other cancers.
If detected in its early stages, before it has spread from the ovaries a woman has a ninety percent chance of living for at least another five years. Unfortunately, less than twenty percent of ovarian cancer is detected in its early stage, Due to the fact that the symptoms of ovarian cancer don’t involve the ovaries themselves the cancer many times can be overlooked as tests like stomach imaging can overlook the ovaries.
This is not to say that every time a woman gets a stomach ache or pelvic pain she should dash off to be tested for ovarian cancer. In cases where problems are persistent though researchers have concluded that ovarian cancer should be considered. If tests have ruled out other causes than tests for ovarian cancer should be performed. Ovarian cancer is a relatively rare cancer in women, it afflicts a small part of the general population and makes up a small percentage of the cancers afflicting women in general.
For the woman stricken with this form of cancer the statistics mean nothing though. So it appears from research findings that women have to take a greater part in the detection of this disease due to the nature of the symptoms and the elusive nature of this disease and with early detection so imperative in determining the survival rate of women afflicted with ovarian cancer.
If tests have ruled out other causes for the symptoms than tests for ovarian cancer should be performed earlier in the diagnosis process. A womans early response to the persistent symptoms related to ovarian cancer can be the key to her survival. New research has discovered that ultrasound and the CA125 test were many times not effective in detecting ovarian cancer in its early stages even in women already at high risk for developing the disease.
Women at high risk include women with a family history of the disease and women predisposed to it due to genetic mutations that can make ovarian cancer more likely. Of the two tests the blood test has shown to be more effective in finding ovarian cancer but it can sometimes give false positive results. Statistics are not good for the early detection of the cancer so other means must be developed it seems.
Experts agree that more research is needed in the area of detection of the disease as this seems to be so critical in determining the survival rate for ovarian cancer. The symptoms will always be the same though so for their part women must make themselves more aware of this cancer and its early detection. Tracking the symptoms can only be of help. Keeping an accurate record of your early symptoms and being persistent during the evaluation process can be the difference between surviving and not surviving ovarian cancer.