Updated : May 8, 2024 4:26 PM IST
Ovarian cancer comprises over 90% of all ovarian cancer cases. Ovarian Cancer symptoms are very vague early on. Abdominal pain, bloating, feeling full even after eating less, vaginal discharge after menopause, changes in toilet habits like an urgency to urinate or constipation/ diarrhoea, extreme fatigue, sudden weight loss, back pain, and sudden painful intercourse are a few signs.
Though there are advances in treatment for ovarian cancer, unfortunately, there are not many advances in early detection. This makes this disease difficult to diagnose, and often, it becomes the cause of advanced-stage cancer with poor survival chances.
Most (62%) cases are diagnosed in Stages III and IV, while 5-year survival is only 28%. The age-specific incidence rate (ASIR) increases from age 35 and peaks between 55 and 64.
Though there are no early detection tools for ovarian cancer, you can get yourself screened for any inherited cause / genetic mutation for ovarian cancer. If you have a strong family history of cancer or have a strong family h/o of breast and ovarian cancer in your family, then you can consult your geneticist and take an assessment if you are an individual who is found to be at a higher risk than the population because of your family history.
If you are diagnosed as a high-risk person based on your family h/o and genetics, then prophylactic surgeries and targeted follow-up can help prevent disease or detect it early, increasing your chance of beating the Silent killer.