Ovarian cancer Health Article

Definition

Ovarian cancer is cancer that starts in the ovaries. The ovaries are the female reproductive organs that produce eggs.

Alternative Names

Cancer - ovaries

Causes, incidence, and risk factors

Ovarian cancer is the fifth most common cancer among women, and it causes more deaths than any other type of female reproductive cancer.

The cause is unknown.

The risk for developing ovarian cancer appears to be affected by several factors. The more children a woman has and the earlier in life she gives birth, the lower her risk of ovarian cancer. Certain genes (BRCA1 and BRCA2) are responsible for a small number of ovarian cancer cases. Women with a personal history of breast cancer or a family history of breast or ovarian cancer have an increased risk for ovarian cancer.

Older women are at highest risk. About two-thirds of the deaths from ovarian cancer occur in women age 55 and older. About 25% of ovarian cancer deaths occur in women between 35 and 54 years of age.

Ovarian cancer symptoms are often vague and non-specific, so women and doctors often blame the symptoms on other, more common conditions. By the time the cancer is diagnosed, the tumor has often spread beyond the ovaries.

Symptoms

• Sense of pelvic heaviness
• Vague lower abdominal discomfort
• Vaginal bleeding
• Weight gain or loss
• Abnormal menstrual cycles
• Unexplained back pain that worsens over time
• Increased abdominal girth
• Non-specific gastrointestinal symptoms:
  • Increased gas
  • Indigestion
  • Lack of appetite
  • Nausea and vomiting
  • Inability to ingest usual volumes of food
  • Bloating

• Increased urinary frequency or urgency
• Excessive hair growth

Signs and tests

A physical examination may reveal increased abdominal girth and ascites (fluid within the abdominal cavity). A pelvic examination may reveal an ovarian or abdominal mass.

Tests include:

• CBC
• Blood chemistry
• CA125
• Quantitative serum HCG (blood pregnancy test)
• Alpha fetoprotein
• Urinalysis
• GI series
• Exploratory laparotomy
• Ultrasound
• Abdominal CT scan or MRI of abdomen