12 Signs of Ovarian Cancer, A.K.A. The Silent Killer – An Infographic

Ovarian cancer, the 5^th most common cancer in women, is often referred to as “the silent killer.” Currently the American Cancer Society estimates that 21,980 women will be diagnosed with ovarian cancer and about 14,270 women will die from ovarian cancer in 2014. Yet despite its prevalence relatively few people know how deadly this cancer is, or how to recognize it.

Sadly recognizing ovarian cancer is not easy. The nickname “the silent killer” refers to the fact that ovarian cancer is very hard to detect, as many women show no outward symptoms of the disease or attribute the symptoms that do emerge to other health problems; as a result of this only 15% of ovarian cancer patients receive an early diagnosis. Most women are diagnosed with late stage Ovarian Cancer, and unfortunately thanks in part to this delay only about 45% of women live five years or longer after an ovarian cancer diagnosis.

Because no routine screenings for ovarian cancer exist yet, women of all ages need to know the signs and symptoms of ovarian cancer. If women do experience one, two or more of these symptoms persistently, they should consider asking for an ovarian cancer test. It’s better to be safe than sorry: too many women ignore their symptoms or attribute them to other health issues when even having one symptom could be a sign of ovarian cancer.

Keep scrolling down to learn more about ovarian cancer’s symptoms and find out who’s most at risk from it in infographic form.

New Screening Could Catch Ovarian Cancer in Earlier Stages

The best way to beat cancer is to get out in front of it. Early diagnosis and treatment is crucial and thanks to a new screening procedure at the University of Texas, ovarian cancer just got a little less threatening. Read below about how the new screening process may help identify ovarian cancer earlier in women.

Ovarian cancer is so dangerous -- it kills about 14,000 of the 20,000 U.S. women diagnosed each year -- because it has few telltale symptoms and is often not detected until it’s in fairly advanced stages. But researchers at University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center have now shown that a new screening procedure may help identify ovarian cancer cases earlier and more accurately. If their study results can be duplicated in a larger trial, they say, the screening could potentially save many of those lives in the near future.

Published today in the journal Cancer, the new study gave more than 4,000 post-menopausal women -- the age group most likely to get ovarian cancer -- a blood test that looked at levels of a protein called CA125. Based on a new algorithm to calculate their cancer risk, 5.8 percent of the women were classified as "intermediate risk" and were told they'd need a follow-up blood test there months later.

Another 0.9 percent were classified as "high risk" and were referred to a specialist for an ultrasound. Ten of those women had what were dubbed "suspicious" ultrasounds and underwent surgery -- four of whom were found to have early-stage, invasive ovarian cancer. Five had benign or non-invasive ovarian tumors, and one had endometrial cancer -- demonstrating that the screening-and-ultrasound combo leaves very little room for false positives.

Because the study was so small, says lead author Karen Lu, MD, these results alone won't change screening protocol in real life. But the researchers are awaiting the results of a much larger clinical trial taking place now in Europe that also uses the same new screening algorithm. "If the results of this study are also positive, then this will result in a change in practice," Dr. Lu adds.

For the full article from Self follow the link: http://on.self.com/1lcUd2i

Ovarian Cancer Myths

Ovarian Cancer has a higher mortality rate than breast cancer. However many people are often unaware or even confused about the simple facts about ovarian cancer. This article from mamamia.com busts six of the most common myths about ovarian cancer.

Myth 1: Ovarian cancer is detected through a pap smear.

Pap smears are actually designed to detect cervical cancer, not ovarian cancer. When a doctor suspects that a patient may have ovarian cancer, they will perform a pelvic exam to check for growths or masses on the ovaries. Transvaginal ultrasounds can also be used to detect it, as can blood tests which detect higher levels of protein CA 125 in the blood stream – as this is often the case for women with advanced ovarian cancer.

Myth 2: You need to have a family history of ovarian cancer to develop it yourself.

This is another myth. Only 10 to 15 percent of ovarian cancers are inherited. But it’s true that one of the greatest factors that indicate risk is the presence of the inherited mutated genes known as BRCA1 and BRCA2 – the same genes that Angelina Jolie detected, which motivated her to undergo a prophylactic double mastectomy.

Myth 3: There are NO early symptoms of ovarian cancer.

Ovarian cancer is often called the ‘silent killer’, because many people believe that symptoms only present in late stages of the disease – but this is a misnomer. However, there are early symptoms – the difficulty is that they are often mistaken for signs of other conditions. Common symptoms include bloating, urinary urgency or pelvic discomfort and pain, swelling and bloating, or abdominal pressure.

Because women often delay asking their GP’s advice about these symptoms, diagnosis can be significantly delayed – and when it is given, the ovarian cancer may have spread already.

Myth 4: Women who’ve had a hysterectomy can’t get ovarian cancer.

This isn’t true. If one, or even both, of the ovaries are preserved, ovarian cancer is still possible. During a hysterectomy, a surgeon usually removes the uterus and the cervix. In some instances, a surgeon will also remove the ovaries and the fallopian tubes. However, even when the ovaries are removed there is a very small chance of developing the disease.

Myth 5: Sexual activity affects chance of developing ovarian cancer.

Some women believe that the number of sexual partners they have had, has something to do with the development of ovarian cancer – but this is completely untrue. The spread of the HPV virus, which can cause cervical cancer and is linked to sexual activity is not connected with ovarian cancer in any way.

Myth 6: Ovarian cancer is always deadly.

As mentioned at the beginning of this article, ovarian cancer is the most deadly of all gynecological cancers – but relative survival rates for ovarian cancer have increased in recent years in Australia. According to the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare, between the periods 1982-1987 and 2006-2010, the five-year relative survival increased from 32.4 per cent to 43.3 per cent.

It is not always deadly – and that’s why it’s so important that women take any symptoms they may be suffering seriously, and ask their GP for an opinion. The sooner any cancer is detected, the better. Breaking these myths about ovarian cancer will surely help.

Click the link to read the full article from mamamia.com: http://bit.ly/1n5OGit

Possible link found between IVF and ovarian cancer

A recent study conducted in the Netherlands suggests a possible link between receiving in-vitro fertilization treatments and ovarian cancer. The study followed women who had IVF treatments, from the time of their first treatment to up to 16 years later. In most cases, the increased risk was of a non-invasive type of tumor. This article from Our Bodies, Our Selves shares more on the study:

A recent article in the journal Human Reproduction has attracted a fair bit of attention because it suggests a possible link between in vitro fertilization (IVF) and later increased risk of ovarian cancer.

Certain factors increase a woman’s risk of getting ovarian cancer, including a family history of reproductive cancers, personal history of cancer, certain gene mutations, increasing age, hormone replacement therapy, and infertility itself.  Right now, it’s still very hard to determine how much fertility treatments – such as the ovarian stimulation used in IVF – may contribute to increased risk.

For the current study, researchers in the Netherlands identified about nineteen thousand women with fertility problems who received in vitro fertilization, and about six thousand women who had fertility problems before IVF was in common use and so did not receive it. The researchers used questionnaires and medical and cancer records to follow the women for fourteen to sixteen years, from the time of their first IVF treatment or first infertility diagnosis.

The authors found a two-fold risk of ovarian cancer in women who had IVF. Most of this increased risk, however, was for “borderline ovarian tumors,” a noninvasive type that may require surgery but typically has a good prognosis. There was no significant difference in rates of invasive ovarian cancer between the two groups. The authors also note that even larger studies are needed to confirm or refute their findings and to examine any possible relationship between the dose of ovarian stimulation treatments and increased ovarian cancer risk.

They also make this important point:

Knowledge about the magnitude of the risks associated with ovarian stimulation is important for women considering starting or continuing IVF treatment, as well as their treating physicians.

A 2006 review of existing literature on the topic also observed “a stronger association…between fertility drug use and borderline tumors of the ovary,” but called the finding “not consistent among the available studies to date.”

Although there is no definitive correlation between receiving IVF treatments and ovarian cancer, it is important to understand the risks of IVF before undergoing treatment. Your OB can provide you with more information.

Chemo Options for Ovarian Cancer

Ovarian cancer is a disease that over 21,000 are diagnosed with a year. While a diagnosis may be extremely scary, it’s important to know what the process of treatment looks like. Because there is no real screening process for ovarian cancer, the disease is usually found in its more advanced stages. Treatment typically begins with surgery, but because cancer cells are usually not all removed from surgery alone, ovarian cancer patients must also go through chemotherapy to eliminate any cells that may still remain in the body.

This article from WebMD describes the chemotherapy process for ovarian cancer and how the treatment works to combat the disease:

The chemotherapy drugs used to treat ovarian cancer are fairly standard. Typically doctors combine a platinum-based drug such as carboplatin (Paraplatin) or cisplatin with a taxane such as paclitaxel (Taxol) or docetaxel (Taxotere).

Two different methods are used to administer the drugs. One method is to give them through a vein (intravenously or IV). Chemotherapy is administered in cycles of treatment days and rest. That means you'll get the drug treatment, and then you'll have a rest period. The number of treatment days varies with the drug given. Women with ovarian cancer typically get six cycles of chemotherapy.

The other option is to deliver the chemotherapy directly into the abdominal cavity using a thin tube or catheter. This process is known as intraperitoneal (IP) chemotherapy. The advantage to IP chemotherapy is that it bathes the cancer cells directly in the cancer-killing drugs.

Doctors will often place the tube for IP chemotherapy during the initial surgery to remove the cancer. The tube is attached to a port, which makes it easy to deliver the drugs into the abdomen each time treatment is given.

Often, women who receive IP chemotherapy get IV chemotherapy too, because studies have shown that the combination significantly improves survival.

Click the link to read the full article and learn more about chemotherapy treatment for ovarian cancer: http://bit.ly/1p2T5zu

Pilot Program for Genetic Testing

A charitable foundation in the United Kingdom recently announced a pilot program to genetically test patients for ovarian and breast cancer. Due to sequencing, which is a method for reading genetic code, looking for gene mutations has become faster and more affordable (only a few hundred dollars), according to Wellcome Trust.

The genetic test was developed by Illumina Inc. and was designed to analyze 97 cancer-associated genes, such as the BRCA 1 and 2 genetic markers, within just a few weeks. The test will be introduced in London’s Royal Marsden hospitals in 2014. If it’s successful, it will expand to the rest of the United Kingdom and the National Health Service.

“It is very important to know if a mutation in a person’s genetic blueprint has caused their cancer,” explained Dr. Nazneen Rahman, a genetics leader at the Institute of Cancer Research (ICR) and the Cancer Genetics Clinical Unit at The Royal Marsden. “It allows more personalized treatment, so for example such people are often at risk of getting another cancer and may choose to have more comprehensive surgery, or may need different medicines, or extra monitoring. It also improves the information available for relatives about their own cancer risks. Sometimes a relative is found to also have an increased risk of cancer, and screening or preventative measures can be employed. Just as frequently, testing provides the reassuring news that a relative is not at increased risk of cancer and does not need interventions.”

Follow this link for more information.

Tai Chi Helps Ovarian Cancer Patients in Mt. Lebanon

David Clippinger, 45, goes by many titles in Mt. Lebanon:

• Author
• Professor
• Lecturer
• Tai Chi and Chi Kung Master
• Owner of Still Mountain, a tai chi school
• Buddhist monk
• Buddhist priest

With all of this, Clippinger uses his knowledge and talents to help women with ovarian cancer through tai chi. He believes that there are health benefits linked to practicing tai chi, which includes a lowering of blood pressure and an increased healing rate for cancer patients who’ve undergone radiation and chemotherapy treatments.

In 2005, he was the keynote speaker for the National Ovarian Cancer Symposium when it was held in Pittsburgh. He serves as a wellness program consultant for a number of organizations and corporations, including the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center. He has also staged therapeutic workshops in chi kung and tai chi at Magee-Womens Hospital of UPMC, the Cancer Caring Center, Gilda’s Club of Western Pennsylvania, the National Hemophilia Foundation’s Family Weekend, The Dean Ornish Program at Allegheny General, the Healing Weekend Retreat for Persons for HIV/AIDS, and the Shepherd Wellness Community Center.

Follow this link for more information.