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Ovarian Cancer
Introduction
Ovarian cancer usually happens in women over age 50, but it can also affect younger women. Its cause is unknown. Ovarian cancer is hard to detect early.
Your chances of recovery are higher if ovarian cancer is discovered and treated quickly. But it's
challenging to find ovarian cancer early. When ovarian cancer is in its early stages and treatable
, many women experience no symptoms or only mild symptoms.:
- Heavy feeling in pelvis
- Pain in lower abdomen
- Bleeding from the vagina
- Weight gain or loss
- Abnormal periods
- Unexplained back pain that gets worse
- Gas, nausea, vomiting, or loss of appetite
How common is ovarian cancer?
Cancer of the ovary affects approximately 5,500 women in England every year. It is the fifth most common cancer among women, after breast cancer, bowel cancer, lung cancer and cancer of the uterus (womb). Ovarian cancer is most common in women who are over the age of 65, although it can affect women of any age.
As the symptoms of ovarian cancer can be difficult to recognise and similar to those of other conditions, it is sometimes called "the silent killer". However, doctors are now far more aware of the early symptoms of ovarian cancer, such as bloating, pain in the pelvis and lower stomach, and difficulty eating.
Being aware of the symptoms of ovarian cancer is important because if it's caught in the early "stage one" phase up to 95% of women will live for more than five years.
How is it caused?
It is unknown what causes cells to grow cancerously. There are some factors that, while not directly causative of cancer, increase a person's risk of developing the disease. Among the elements that raise the likelihood of contracting the illness are:
- Cancer tends to run in families. The risk for Cancer increases for a person if one or more of his family members suffer from the disease.
- Women who have never had children.
- Women who have had breast or colon Cancer.
- Regular usage of fertility drugs.
Oral contraceptives containing oestrogen and progesterone are protective although progesterone may be responsible for this.