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

Ovarian Cancer Symptoms, Diagnosis and Treatment.

What is Ovarian Cancer?

At UIC Pharmacy, we want to keep you informed, September is Ovarian Cancer Awareness Month, so this is a great time to learn about ovarian cancer.  Ovarian tumors can be benign (noncancerous) or malignant (cancerous).  Ovarian cancer is defined as a growth of abnormal malignant cells that begins in the ovaries, the part of the female reproductive tract where eggs are produced.   Noncancerous cells do not spread to other parts of the body (metastasize); however, malignant cells can metastasize throughout the body.

Lifetime risk of developing ovarian cancer in a women with no affected relatives is 1 in 70 or 1.4%.  If a first degree relative has ovarian cancer, a woman’s lifetime risk rises to 5%.  Post-menopausal women are more likely to be diagnosed with the disease than younger women, with a median age at diagnosis of 63 years.

Risk factors for developing ovarian cancer include:

●      Mutations in the BRCA1 or BRCA2 genes.

●      A family history of breast or ovarian cancer.

●      Advanced age (over 55 years).

●      Never having a baby.

Common Symptoms

It is important for all women to be familiar with the symptoms of ovarian cancer, since early detection improves survival.  There is no definitive screening test for ovarian cancer and signs and symptoms are often silent or vague, making early detection difficult.  Therefore, women should not hesitate to talk to their doctor if they have any of the most common symptoms.

See a physician if you have the following symptoms daily for a few weeks:

●      Bloating.

●      Pelvic or abdominal pain.

●      Difficulty eating or feeling full quickly.

Other common symptoms of ovarian cancer are non-specific and may be seen with other conditions:

●      Feeling the need to urinate, or urinating often.

●      Pain with sexual intercourse.

●      Digestive problems such as nausea, vomiting, and constipation.

Diagnosis and Treatment

Diagnosis of ovarian cancer is made only through biopsy of ovarian tissue, which is when a doctor uses a large needle to take out a small piece of the ovary.  Women with symptoms of ovarian cancer who have additional risk factors can have further tests performed to determine if a biopsy is needed.  Examples of these other tests include:

●      Pelvic exam:  a doctor uses his or her hands to check the size and shape of the ovaries.

●      Ultrasonography:  viewing a picture of the ovary to detect changes that could indicate ovarian cancer.

●      Blood test:  looks for a protein called CA-125 that is found in ovarian cancer cells. This test is not always accurate on its own, but the results can be considered in combination with other test results and symptoms.

   

Current treatment of ovarian cancer includes surgical removal of the cancer followed by medications to destroy the remaining cancer cells (chemotherapy).  Most women require surgery that includes a hysterectomy (removal of the uterus [the womb]) and a salpingo-oophorectomy (removal of ovaries and fallopian tubes, the tubes connecting the ovaries and uterus).

Protecting Yourself

There are some things you can do to minimize your risk for developing ovarian cancer.

●      A diet rich in fruits and vegetables may help protect against ovarian cancer.

●      Having a regular pelvic exam from your doctor may help with early detection of ovarian cancer.  To help with early detection, women at high risk may also undergo some of the other tests used to diagnose ovarian cancer.

●      Taking birth control pills for 5 years may reduce ovarian cancer risk.

●      Having a baby and breastfeeding may reduce risk of ovarian cancer.

●      Having surgery to close or tie off the fallopian tubes may reduce the chances of developing ovarian cancer.  After this procedure it is no longer possible to become pregnant so it is not often done in younger patients.

Seventy percent of patients with ovarian cancer are first diagnosed when the disease has already spread from the ovaries to other parts of the body.  When ovarian cancer has spread it is much harder to treat.  Early detection of ovarian cancer improves survival,  so it is important to be attentive to the symptoms described above, understand your risk factors, and talk about any of your concerns with your healthcare providers.

 

Interested in learning more?

The following websites are good resources for finding out more about ovarian cancer.

●      National Ovarian Council Coalition - http://www.ovarian.org/

●      National Library of Medicine - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ovariancancer.html

●      PubMed Health - http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmedhealth/PMH0001891/

You can also stop one of the UIC Pharmacy locations and consult your UIC Pharmacist.

Jamie Wrenn

Doctor of Pharmacy Candidate 2013

UIC College of Pharmacy