Symptoms Of Ovarian Cancer
- Symptoms of ovarian cancer can present themselves quickly, and grow rapidly
- People may experience abdominal distention and discomfort, pevic masses, and difficulty breathing
- Treatment is done quickly in order to alleviate symptoms and stop more from developing
Ovarian cancer symptoms often present themselves quickly and out of the blue. In some cases, after sudden symptoms, an ovarian cancer diagnosis can be made in just a matter of days, oncologists tell SurvivorNet.
“A patient can feel relatively normal and suddenly wake up with abdominal distension and symptoms that are related to ovarian cancer,” Dr. Jeanne M. Schilder, a gynecologic oncologist at Indiana University Medical Center, tells SurvivorNet.
According to Dr. Schilder, common ovarian cancer symptoms include abdominal distention (also known as expansion) and a pelvic mass or discomfort, which is a swelling in the pelvic region. Patients may also experience difficulty breathing. These symptoms can develop quickly and cause severe discomfort, and therefore surgery is scheduled immediately in order to remove fluid as well as the cancer mass.
In addition to surgery, chemotherapy can also be used to quickly respond to ovarian cancer symptoms. For patients with large amounts of fluid in the abdomen, surgeons will drain the fluid, patients will be put on chemotherapy, and then operations will begin. In order to alleviate symptoms and stop more symptoms from developing, treatment is urgent.
“Treatment of this cancer tends to be somewhat urgent just related to the symptoms and fairly rapid growth,” Dr. Schilder says. “We know that the natural history of ovarian cancer in many cases tends to be rapid. A patient can have a normal exam, normal ultrasound findings, and three months later have a large mass. This leads to to the urgency of treatment [as well as] to the fact that most of these patients respond relatively well to the treatment. Rapidly growing cancers tend to respond better to chemotherapy.”
Genetic Testing For Ovarian Cancer
When it comes to catching ovarian cancer early, genetic testing can be a life-saver — literally. Genetic testing and screening tests can help with early detection of ovarian cancer, which is valuable considering many times the diagnosis comes after the cancer has already spread. If ovarian cancer is diagnosed early, the results from treatment are usually much better.
“For genetic testing, we will refer our patients to genetic counselors to go through a thorough family history, talk about the risk and benefits of testing,” Dr. Erin Salinas, a gynecologic oncologist at Compass Oncology, told SurvivorNet in a separate interview. “What all that entails — it is a blood test that’s drawn to determine if patients have germline mutations.”
Germline mutations are inherited, and will be determined through saliva tests. Somatic mutations are non-inherited, and doctors will test blood as well as the tissue of the tumor. The tumor tissue can be obtained from cancer tissue obtained either during surgery or from a biopsy and is obtained from the hospital or pathology lab where your surgery or biopsy was performed.
Learn more about SurvivorNet's rigorous medical review process.
Symptoms Of Ovarian Cancer
- Symptoms of ovarian cancer can present themselves quickly, and grow rapidly
- People may experience abdominal distention and discomfort, pevic masses, and difficulty breathing
- Treatment is done quickly in order to alleviate symptoms and stop more from developing
Ovarian cancer symptoms often present themselves quickly and out of the blue. In some cases, after sudden symptoms, an ovarian cancer diagnosis can be made in just a matter of days, oncologists tell SurvivorNet.
“A patient can feel relatively normal and suddenly wake up with abdominal distension and symptoms that are related to ovarian cancer,” Dr. Jeanne M. Schilder, a gynecologic oncologist at Indiana University Medical Center, tells SurvivorNet.
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According to Dr. Schilder, common ovarian cancer symptoms include abdominal distention (also known as expansion) and a pelvic mass or discomfort, which is a swelling in the pelvic region. Patients may also experience difficulty breathing. These symptoms can develop quickly and cause severe discomfort, and therefore surgery is scheduled immediately in order to remove fluid as well as the cancer mass.
In addition to surgery, chemotherapy can also be used to quickly respond to ovarian cancer symptoms. For patients with large amounts of fluid in the abdomen, surgeons will drain the fluid, patients will be put on chemotherapy, and then operations will begin. In order to alleviate symptoms and stop more symptoms from developing, treatment is urgent.
“Treatment of this cancer tends to be somewhat urgent just related to the symptoms and fairly rapid growth,” Dr. Schilder says. “We know that the natural history of ovarian cancer in many cases tends to be rapid. A patient can have a normal exam, normal ultrasound findings, and three months later have a large mass. This leads to to the urgency of treatment [as well as] to the fact that most of these patients respond relatively well to the treatment. Rapidly growing cancers tend to respond better to chemotherapy.”
Genetic Testing For Ovarian Cancer
When it comes to catching ovarian cancer early, genetic testing can be a life-saver — literally. Genetic testing and screening tests can help with early detection of ovarian cancer, which is valuable considering many times the diagnosis comes after the cancer has already spread. If ovarian cancer is diagnosed early, the results from treatment are usually much better.
“For genetic testing, we will refer our patients to genetic counselors to go through a thorough family history, talk about the risk and benefits of testing,” Dr. Erin Salinas, a gynecologic oncologist at Compass Oncology, told SurvivorNet in a separate interview. “What all that entails — it is a blood test that’s drawn to determine if patients have germline mutations.”
Germline mutations are inherited, and will be determined through saliva tests. Somatic mutations are non-inherited, and doctors will test blood as well as the tissue of the tumor. The tumor tissue can be obtained from cancer tissue obtained either during surgery or from a biopsy and is obtained from the hospital or pathology lab where your surgery or biopsy was performed.
Learn more about SurvivorNet's rigorous medical review process.
