Ovarian cancer and pregnancy

Should a woman worry if she is found to have an ovarian cyst during her pregnancy?

In most cases, no. Ovarian cysts are rather common in pregnancy, especially in the first half. The overwhelming majority of these cysts are innocent, the so-called "functional cysts".

If an ovarian cyst is found while performing an ultrasound scan of the pelvis in pregnancy, the features are analyzed to see if it looks suspicious. It is usually checked with a follow- up ultrasound. If it appears to be increasing in size or changing in character, an operation will be performed to remove the cyst, usually around sixteen to twenty weeks of gestation. 

This poses little risk to the pregnancy, is technically not difficult to perform and avoids undue delay in confirming diagnosis. Small cysts of less than 8 cm diameter do not merit any intervention, provided they are not growing. 
Surgery to remove cysts could be done by laparoscopy (keyhole) where facilities and expertise is available.

Are there any other potential complications of an ovarian cyst in pregnancy?

Yes. About one in six large ovarian cysts in pregnancy undergo torsion or twisting, which causes quite severe pain. This normally occurs in the first half of pregnancy and is rarer in advanced pregnancy. Torsion can also occur a few days after delivery.

If ovarian cancer is diagnosed during pregnancy, what are the options?

It depends on the type of ovarian cancer, the stage of the disease and the patient's wishes. 

Most types of ovarian cancer can be treated adequately with surgery where the ovary and tube are removed and the pregnancy is left to continue. This is provided that the disease is caught at an early stage. If it is more advanced, more extensive surgery may be required while still preserving the pregnancy. The surgery will be followed by chemotherapy which, beyond the first twelve to fifteen weeks of pregnancy, is considered safe for the fetus. 
Surgery can, of course, provoke a miscarriage.

Are there forms of ovarian cancer that require treatment with radiotherapy?

Yes. There is a form of ovarian cancer - relatively common in the younger woman - which responds quite well to radiotherapy. It is called a "dysgerminoma". 

The best treatment for the disease in the early stages is still surgery but, if it is more advanced, radiotherapy may be necessary for a complete cure. 

If the diagnosis is made in early pregnancy, the radiotherapy part of treatment may be deferred until the fetus is viable. This approach requires very careful analysis of all the factors and, of course, the mother's wishes.

How common is ovarian cancer in pregnancy?

Rare. The estimated figure is one in 20,000. An average district hospital with 2,500 deliveries per year will encounter a case of ovarian cancer in pregnancy once every eight to ten years.

Ovarian Cancer Survival : The importance of early detection

Buried in the basin, the ovaries are difficult to examine. Thus, cancers affecting them are often discovered late. If improvements are to provide treatment, the prognosis remains closely linked to early care.

Ovarian cancer is the fifth largest female cancers in US, with 4 000 new cases per year. But his prognosis remains very bleak as it is often discovered at a late stage. Panorama from an unknown disease.

Ovarian cancer is relatively uncommon. All too often discovered at a late stage, this cancer is difficult to treat. As it is detected late, ovarian cancer has a fairly bleak prognosis. Each year, 3 800 american die from that cancer. The survival rate of ovarian cancer is just over 30% in 5 years, while for breast cancer, it is about 75%.

Few women are genetically predisposed to ovarian cancer. Genetic factors were responsible for 5 to 10% of cancers of the ovary. Between 160 and 320 women are suffering from a hereditary cancer of the ovary annually. Family mutations of certain genes, BRCA1 and BRCA2 rarely, are known to predispose strongly to this cancer, with an earlier age (before age 50). Alteration of these genes is also responsible for predisposition to breast cancer.

Without beneficiating from screening test, ovarian cancer has long been nicknamed the silent killer because symptoms are supposed to appear at an advanced stage of the disease. But the results of a recent study could detect that kind of cancer more quickly.

Early detection is an incredible challenge: 70 to 90% of women with ovarian cancer detected at a primary stage are still alive five years after diagnosis against only 20 to 30% of those whose cancer was diagnosed at an advanced stage. And unfortunately, the second scenario is more often met ... Some figures show awareness of this scourge, female: 4 488 new cases and 3 508 deaths directly linked to the disease in the year 2006

Characteristic symptoms : Beware of the trio!

Researchers have followed 1 408 women who were asked to complete an anonymous questionnaire about symptoms experienced with the previous year. Among the proposed events can include pelvic pain, abdominal, low back pain, the urge to urinate, constipation, weight loss, unexplained, and so on. The severity, duration and frequency of these signs were also informed. The same procedure was conducted on 128 women awaiting surgery for pelvic tumors, including ovarian cancer.

Ovarian cancer is no longer the silent undetectable killer . Even women with cancer at preliminary stages have signs. Paying attention to certain symptoms (or rather their frequency or severity), it may be possible to react in time!

The diagnosis of ovarian cancer is based on clinical examination, gynecological and a determination of tumor marker, supplemented by medical imaging examinations, including pelvic ultrasound and magnetic resonance imaging. But only the surgical exploration allows a complete diagnosis of the local extension of ovarian cancer.

>> Ovarian cancer and pregnancy

Ovarian Cancer – Pain Alleviation Methods

When the cancer in the ovary is detected early, then the chances for victorious treatment and the survival are possible. But in general the symptoms are very silent in the case of ovarian cancer and thus the ovarian cancer posses the habit of being subtle or do not highlight themselves till it progress to the advanced stage. The research study indicates that there are some general symptoms that may occur for the ovarian cancer. The women are expected to be familiar with the symptoms of the ovarian cancer and should go to the doctor when they come across any such symptom. It is also advisable for all the women beyond the age of 18 to undergo the pelvic exams annually.

The very common symptoms that may occur for the woman who has the ovarian cancer are the indigestion, change in the bowel movement and nausea. Pelvic pain may or may not be experienced by the women who have ovarian cancer. Some of the other symptoms that are associated with the ovarian cancer are the pain in the pelvic or abdomen, pressure, discomfort, swelling, gastrointestinal upsets like nausea, indigestion or gas, urgent urination, abnormal weight loss or gain and in particular weight gain in the region of abdomen, swelling in abdomen, pain during the intercourse, pain in the legs and bleeding in the vagina unusually.

A recent study in a journal also indicated that some of the symptoms are very common among the women who were affected with the ovarian cancer. The survey was conducted with the women with the ovarian cancer and without the ovarian cancer. The solution was that the women with the ovarian cancer had many problems in common and experience the same for more than 12 times a month. The common symptoms that are taken for the research study are the pain in the pelvic or the abdomen, bloating of abdomen, urgent urinary, frequency of urination, feeling heavy after little consumption and finding difficult to eat.

It is advised for those women with the above symptoms to consult the physician immediately who will perform various tests to know the severity and the nature of the cancer in the ovary. It is also suggested to meet the gynecologists preferably on daily basis for some weeks to have a complete study of the ovarian cancer.

These symptoms which are silent may sometimes highlight the ovarian cancer and its severity. One should be aware that the ovarian cancer in the early stage cannot be known by the affected person as she will not be getting any symptom for the same. She will be experiencing the discomfort or swelling in the lower abdomen as when the cancer grows in the ovary. As many symptoms will not occur till the cancer spread throughout the ovary, it will be ignored.

>> Ovarian Cancer Survival : The importance of early detection