Ovarian Cancer Awareness Month

Almost 22,000 women will be diagnosed with ovarian cancer and over 14,000 women will die from ovarian cancer this year alone.¹

Ovarian cancer is the 11^th most common cancer in women and the 5^th leading cause of cancer death among women in the United States.^2,3

In a group of 72 women, 1 will develop ovarian cancer over the course of her lifetime, and in a group of 100 women, 1 will die from the disease.³

Here is the information that you and every woman in your life should know about ovarian cancer.

What is ovarian cancer?

·      Ovaries are 2 small, oval-shaped organs found in the lower abdomen of women. The ovaries are responsible for storing and releasing eggs and for producing female hormones such as estrogen and progesterone.²

·      Ovarian cancer occurs when a cell (one of the little, individual units that makes up our tissues and organs) starts to grow and divide out of control in an ovary.²

·      These cancer cells can grow and divide to form a ball of cells called a tumor. This tumor can grow so large that it pushes on organs near the ovaries. Some of the cancer cells can even break off and travel to other places in the body where they start to grow and divide and form more tumors.²

·      The best time to treat cancer is when the tumor is small, in its early stages, and has not grown or spread to other areas of the body. Ovarian cancer is difficult to detect in the early stage; 85% of ovarian cancers are not diagnosed until the tumors have already grown large or spread from the ovaries.⁴

The key to successful treatment and cure is early detection. In fact, teal is the color of ovarian cancer awareness: Take Early Action and Live.⁴

What screening can be done to help detect ovarian cancer early?

·       Ovarian cancer currently has no screening test. A pap test does not detect ovarian cancer, and in most cases, a pelvic exam does not detect ovarian cancer unless the doctor notes a very enlarged ovary that is usually in the later stages.⁴

·       Because the ovaries are deep within the lower abdomen, ovarian tumors are not able to be felt or examined as they are in breast cancer.⁴

·       A yearly visit to your gynecologist and watching closely for symptoms is the best way to detect ovarian cancer early.

What are the symptoms of ovarian cancer?

·       An easy way to remember the symptoms of ovarian cancer is to think of the letters in the word BEAT.⁵

·       Other symptoms include fatigue, upset stomach or heartburn, back pain, pain during sex, constipation, abdominal swelling, weight loss, and changes in your period.^2,4

·       Ovarian cancer is so difficult to detect partly because the symptoms can be the result of other more common conditions. The American Cancer Society recommends that you tell your primary doctor or gynecologist if you have these symptoms and they are different from how you normally feel, they do not go away, and they occur almost every day for more than a couple of weeks.²

·       If the ovarian cancer is found early and it has not spread to other areas of the body, the 5-year survival rate is as high as 92%.²

What puts a woman at greater risk of developing ovarian cancer?

·       Risk factors are characteristics that increase a woman’s chance of getting ovarian cancer.

Risk factors for ovarian cancer include:^2,4

·       If a woman has 1 or more of these risk factors, she should discuss them with her doctor. She should also be extra aware of the symptoms that were discussed above.⁴

·       However, just because a woman has risk factors does not necessarily mean she will have ovarian cancer. Any woman can develop ovarian cancer.⁴

Ovarian cancer has been described as a “silent” cancer because it is so hard to detect, but ovarian cancer is not silent, it whispers. You just have to be listening closely.⁶

This September share this potentially life-saving information with the women in your life.

For more information and tools go to:

Ovarian Cancer Symptom Tracker: http://www.beatonline.info/tracker/intro

Ovarian Cancer Risk Calculator: http://www.ovarian.org/are_you_at_risk.php

American Cancer Society: http://www.cancer.org/cancer/ovariancancer/index

Ovarian Cancer National Alliance: http://www.ovariancancer.org/

National Ovarian Cancer Center Coalition: http://www.ovarian.org/

References

1.     SEER Cancer Statistics Factsheets: Ovary Cancer. National Cancer Institute. http://seer.cancer.gov/statfacts/html/ovary.html. Accessed August 12, 2014.

2.     Ovarian Cancer. American Cancer Society. http://www.cancer.org/cancer/ovariancancer/. Accessed August 12, 2014.

3.     About Ovarian Cancer. Ovarian Cancer National Alliance. http://www.ovariancancer.org/about/. Accessed August 12, 2014.

4.     Medical Information. National Ovarian Cancer Center Coalition. http://www.ovarian.org/what_is_ovarian_cancer.php. Accessed August 12, 2014.

5.     BEAT ovarian cancer with Ovacome. The Ovarian Cancer Support Charity. http://www.ovacome.org.uk/beat-ovarian-cancer-with-ovacome.aspx. Accessed August 12, 2014.

6.     Ovarian cancer isn’t a ‘silent killer’—it whispers its symptoms. The Times Standard. http://www.times-standard.com/northcoastlife/ci_24099727/ovarian-cancer-isnt-silent-killer-it-whispers-its. Published September 15, 2013. Accessed August 12, 2014.

Written by:

Jody Mallicoat, PharmD Candidate 2015