Ovarian cancer, stomach and abdominal pain. What increases the risk of ovarian cancer?

Ovarian cancer is one of the female cancers. It is formed from cells in the body that undergo abnormal division, which is associated with the action of various factors. There are several risk factors for ovarian cancer that can cause a woman to develop the disease at different stages of her life. Sometimes cancer develops as a result of a random mutation in the cells of the body. In the case of ovarian cancer, we are dealing with both malignant neoplasms and benign changes inside the ovaries, which rarely turn into a malignant ovarian neoplasm, but can recur after the end of treatment.

Ovarian cancer is one of the diseases that can be detected in the early stages of development during routine preventive examinations. Every woman should regularly undergo gynecological examinations, which also reveal cervical cancer and benign changes in the organs of the reproductive system. In the case of female cancers, we often have a fairly long asymptomatic course, which is an additional risk. When disturbing symptoms appear, the cancer is often at an advanced stage, which affects the prognosis of patients.

Malignant ovarian tumors can infiltrate the surrounding tissues, affecting neighboring organs and giving distant metastases, so it is necessary to conduct a control gynecological examination at least once a year, including abdominal ultrasound and transvaginal ultrasound. Taking care of our health, we get an additional chance for a full recovery, because early diagnosis of the disease significantly reduces the risk of death in a woman. This applies to all types of cancer, not just women’s, which, in addition to ovarian cancer, also includes cervical and breast cancer. In our country, female cancers are detected quite late, which is associated with avoiding visiting a gynecologist, but thanks to a nationwide public campaign, an increase in the percentage of early diagnoses is noticeable, which is expressed in the percentage of deaths. Unfortunately, many patients still see their doctor too late, making effective treatment difficult or impossible.

In the case of advanced ovarian cancer with multiple distant metastases, only palliative treatment is possible to alleviate suffering, since other treatments are ineffective.

How does ovarian cancer develop?

Ovarian cancer is most often the primary cancer that develops from the cells that make up this organ of the woman’s reproductive system. Various factors lead to the formation of a mutated cell. One tumor cell gives rise to a rapidly developing disease. An ovarian tumor can develop at an accelerated pace, but much depends, among other things, on the nature of the change. Early benign ovarian tumors and early malignant ovarian tumors can cause similar symptoms. The disease usually begins asymptomatically, and symptoms from the reproductive system appear as the tumor grows, which begins to compress surrounding tissues or infiltrate, which is typical for malignant tumors. Many women with advanced ovarian cancer experience abdominal pain as well as back pain, which is often mistaken for symptoms of other conditions.

Important! Ovarian cancer is a cancer that can be inherited. Genetic factors have a great influence on the development of this disease. For this reason, when visiting a gynecologist, a family history should be taken to allow testing for common genetic diseases.

Various types of changes often occur in the ovaries, including cysts, the identification of which during tests is an indication for further diagnosis. It is necessary, among other things, in a situation where the gynecologist is not sure what change in the ovary or on its surface he is dealing with. The main thing is that a cyst is not cancer! However, this benign formation can cause complications and therefore requires treatment.

If there is even the slightest suspicion that a woman may develop cancer, the medical procedure includes taking measures to accurately assess the type of lesion to be removed, and its cut is sent for histopathological examination. An incorrect diagnosis of ovarian lesions is associated with serious consequences, therefore, all cysts, the size of which is an indication for surgery, are subject to excision.

Ovarian cancer and abdominal and abdominal pain (signs of ovarian cancer)

Ovarian cancer can start showing up quite late, prompting you to see a doctor. They appear with tumor growth and the formation of metastases in other organs of the small pelvis, as well as with distant metastases.

Ovarian cancer can cause urogenital symptoms, gastrointestinal symptoms, and lumbar spine symptoms. Most often, women are prompted to visit a doctor by gastrointestinal complaints that are not related to the reproductive system, as well as urinary tract ailments. Typical gynecological symptoms such as heavy menstrual bleeding or postmenopausal spotting and bleeding are often underestimated.

Symptoms that may indicate ovarian cancer include:

• abdominal pain

• pressure, retraction and stretching in the abdominal cavity,

• persistent and often recurring gastric symptoms - flatulence, nausea, vomiting, constipation and diarrhea,

• recurrent symptoms of indigestion of varying severity,

• an increase in the circumference of the abdomen,

• frequent urination,

• feeling of sloshing in the stomach

• sensation of the presence of a foreign body in the lower abdomen,

• feeling of fullness.

Symptoms of the disease also include anorexia, chronic fatigue, low back pain, and pelvic pain radiating to the legs.

What increases the risk of ovarian cancer?

Risk factors for developing ovarian cancer are primarily genetic factors that significantly increase the risk of developing this cancer. In women whose grandmothers, mothers or sisters are ill with ovarian cancer, it is necessary to systematically conduct preventive examinations to detect tumor changes in the early stages.

Other risk factors for developing ovarian cancer include:

• age - ovarian cancer is more common in perimenopausal women

• the use of hormonal drugs, such as hormone replacement therapy.

Moreover, ovarian cancer is more likely to develop in women who have not been pregnant.

Diagnosis of ovarian cancer

The diagnosis of ovarian cancer requires various diagnostic tests. If a woman informs the gynecologist about symptoms that indicate ovarian cancer, a gynecological examination and ultrasound are performed. Only a small percentage of women who report symptoms of ovarian cancer suffer from the condition, so testing should not be avoided out of fear. Cancer can be treated, but it must be detected, so the necessary preventive examinations are necessary! Fear is a bad adviser, but in many cases it is already too late for successful treatment. An ovarian tumor is a cancer that poses a serious threat, as it quickly begins to infiltrate the surrounding tissues and cause distant metastases, which makes treatment difficult.

Diagnosis of ovarian cancer includes not only a gynecological examination and ultrasound, which can identify other causes of symptoms in a woman, but also a biopsy of the detected focus and laboratory tests, as well. peripheral blood test with smear and urinalysis. The diagnosis of a tumor lesion requires additional diagnostic tests to detect near and distant metastases, such as computed tomography and colonoscopy. Cancer cells in ovarian cancer can be found in the colon and lungs, among others.

Treatment of ovarian cancer

Various therapeutic methods are used in the treatment of ovarian cancer. according to the severity of the disease. We include among them:

• Surgery,

• local radiotherapy,

• systemic and intraperitoneal chemotherapy.

Thus, ovarian cancer primarily affects perimenopausal women, but it can also develop at an earlier age. The risk of developing ovarian cancer is increased, including the occurrence of this neoplasm in closely related women and the use of hormone replacement therapy. Statistics on ovarian cancer changes from year to year - we see a decrease in the number of late diagnoses and a decrease in the percentage of deaths, but still up to half of sick women go to the doctor too late. Ovarian cancer is curable, but the stage of its progression affects the success of therapy, so systematic gynecological examinations should be taken into account to detect various diseases at the initial stage of their development.