ovarian cancer

Ovarian cancer is a blanket term used to refer to one of several types of malignant growths that begin in the cells of the ovaries. Ovarian cancer is not one of the more common cancers among women, but it is a leading cause of their cancer-caused deaths.

Ovarian cancer can originate in the surface epithelial cells of the ovaries, the germ cells, or the stromal cells. Epithelial ovarian tumors develop from the cells on the outer surface of the ovary. Most are benign and are removed from surgery, but some are cancerous carcinomas, one of the most common and deadly of all ovarian cancers. This type of ovarian cancer is more common among women over 50, and is so deadly because it is not usually diagnosed until it has metastasized into other organs of the body, and metastatic disease is always the most difficult to treat successfully. Ovarian germ cell tumors develop from cells that produce ova or eggs, and most, but not all, are benign. Among the most common germ cell malignancies are teratomas. Ovarian germ cell cancer is most common in women in their teens and twenties, and though the fatality rates associated with it used to be very high, today, using combination chemotherapy, the majority of women are cured and their fertility preserved. Ovarian stromal tumors develop from the connective tissue cells that hold the ovaries together and those that produce estrogen and progesterone. Stromal malignancies are rare and low-grade, meaning that they spread slowly and are usually diagnosed at an early stage of the disease.

Because other cancers may spread into the ovaries, people with a personal or family history of breast, uterine, prostate, or colorectal cancer are considered to be at higher risk of ovarian cancer. Age, unexplained infertility, use of high dose estrogen without progesterone, and the usual lifestyle factors (smoking, poor diet - especially diet high in saturated fats, lack of exercise) are all risk factors. It is more common among Caucasians and Ashkenazi (Eastern European) Jewish women than other racial groups.

Symptoms of ovarian cancer include pelvic or abdominal pain and persistent gastrointestinal upset, but these are common discomforts of everyday life, and not something that should send you into a tailspin of fear about cancer. See your doctor if you experience such symptoms. Physicians who suspect that a woman has an increased risk of ovarian cancer may perform routine vaginal digital or vaginal ultrasound tests, and recently, a mutated genetic marker for the condition was discovered, which can be detected by a blood test. Basically, however, there is no reliable, accurate screen for the disease, which is not detected during a Pap smear. Like all cancers, optimal treatment depends on the stage of the disease (localized vs. metastasized) and a woman's age and overall health condition. Surgery to remove a cancerous growth is the primary diagnostic and therapeutic tool, and the surgery may also involve removal of one or both ovaries (oophorectomy). Metastatic disease is usually treated with chemotherapy or radiation.

Good web resources on ovarian cancer include the National Ovarian Cancer Coalition and the Ovarian Cancer National Alliance, which you can find respectively at:
http://www.ovarian.org/
http://www.ovariancancer.org/

Note: This is a paper that I wrote about two months ago. This is not intended to do anything but present the facts!

Cancer: Info for women, on Ovarian cancer

In long past years, having a doctor handing over a diagnosis of cancer was like getting death sentence. It was new, unusual, and most of all, untreatable. It was a word in the same category as murder and execution. Once one got it, one would almost certainly die, or live a half-life until death. Today, however, this is not true. Cancer’s death rate is much, much lower, and with thousands of scientists, around the world, working to find a cure, the future for a patient with cancer is very bright, and growing brighter by the day. Everyday, science is finding new information about how to help prevent, and possibly cure cancer. It has been estimated that by 2010, a cure may be developed. But what people still want to know is; how they can keep the habits, and lifestyle, that they have now, while still being cancer-less. How can we live without cancer, without giving up many of our favorite things, such as smoking. This silent killer, cancer, is not so very unknown, and not so unstoppable.

There are many ways to tell that you have a cancer. Take Ovarian cancer for example. Some common symptoms, that may mean that you have Ovarian cancer, include:



·Increased size of abdomen

·Abdominal bloating

·Fatigue – more than the usual “blahs” but a persistent, ongoing tiredness

·Abdominal pain –can range from a mild discomfort or a more persistent pain

·Indigestion

·Frequent urge to urinate

·Constipation

·Pelvic pain

·Urinary inconsistinence - being unable to control the flow of urine, peeing accidentally

·Back pain

·Pain with intercourse

·Unable to eat normally

·A mass or “lump” in your pelvis that you can feel

·Vaginal bleeding

·Weight loss



It is suggested that one checks with a doctor if any of these symptoms persist for three weeks or more. These are just some of the symptoms that could signify that one has Ovarion cancer. For more information on symptoms, or about Ovarion cancer in more detail, go to:

http://www.ovariancanada.org/facts/symptoms/you.php

There are many lifestyles that can help prevent cancer. There are some things that cannot be helped. The main unpreventable reason is that you have a tendency toward cancer from your genes or by Hereditary inheritance. The only thing that one can do in these cases is, have a healthy lifestyle, avoiding obesity or underweight-ness, heart disease, and eating your daily recommended amounts of vegetables, fruits, and vitamins. These are pretty much the most surefire way to prevent cancer.

There are several treatements for cancer, differing by the type. To use Ovarian cancer as an example, once again, the treatments for it include, but are not limited to:



·Radiation Therapy

·Chemotherapy

·Surgery



There are also several other treatments, that have not been released in full details yet, but these seem to be promising. Also, healthy lifestyles, and possible herbal remedies may be used to treat cancer.

This silent killer, cancer, is not so very unknown, and not so unstoppable. The people of the world know that, right now, scientists are doing the best that they can. What the people also know is that, although these are not sure preventions, the healthy lifestyles and herbal remedies that have been presented to them are as good as they have right now, and with nothing much else, aside from avoiding cancer-specific causes, such as drugs, and smoking, etc, this is what they have to work with. This, hope, and faith in scientists around the world. For some cancers, there is nothing that can prevent them, except luck, and healthy living, and for, others, simply avoiding the causes is enough. For now, all that people around the world, who may have a tendency towards cancer, or have already been diagnosed with it, can do is cross their fingers, and put their hopes, and fates, in the many scientists working on this important problem.