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Possible symptoms of ovarian cancer: |
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Feeling of pressure in lower abdomen or pelvic area
Abdominal bloating
Changes in bowel or bladder habits
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Overview
What is Cancer?
Cancer is the uncontrolled growth of cells in an organ, such as the lung, colon or skin. Cancer cells grow together to form a mass called a tumor. Benign (non-cancerous) cells can also grow and spread, but are not invasive. Cancer can be life threatening, because malignant (cancerous) cells can invade surrounding tissue and spread, or metastasize, to other parts of the body. Early detection before the cancer spreads provides the best chance of cure.
What is ovarian cancer?
The ovaries are two small organs situated on either side of the uterus (womb), deep within the pelvic cavity. The ovaries produce female hormones and store egg cells, which when fertilized by a sperm cell can result in pregnancy.
A malignant tumor that begins in the ovaries is called ovarian cancer. There are several types of ovarian cancer. Ovarian cancer that begins on the surface of the ovary (epithelial carcinoma) is the most common type. Ovarian cancer that begins in the egg-producing cells (germ cell tumors) and cancer that begins in the supportive tissue surrounding the ovaries (stromal tumors) are rare.
Cancer of the ovary is diagnosed in nearly 20,200 women in the United States each year. Ovarian cancer is the fifth-leading cause of cancer death among United States women and has the highest death rate of all gynecological cancers. The average age of a woman diagnosed with ovarian cancer is 61. An estimated one out of 70 American women develop the disease.
Prognosis
The prognosis for a woman diagnosed with ovarian cancer is related to many factors, including the stage of her disease when diagnosed, her overall health and her age. When diagnosed and treated in stage I when the tumor is confined to the ovary, the overall five-year survival rate approaches 93 percent. Unfortunately, three quarters of cases of ovarian cancer are not diagnosed in the early stage. The overall survival rate for women with ovarian cancer is between 35 percent and 47 percent, depending on the type and stage of tumor.
More on Ovarian Cancer What Is Ovarian Cancer?
Learning Risks For Women's Cancer
What Is Cancer?
What Is Cancer Staging?
What Every Woman Should Know About Ovarian Cysts
Will My Cancer Come Back? Coping with the Fear of Recurrence
In the Encyclopedia: Ascites
Infertility drugs
Hysterectomy
Oophorectomy
Ovarian cancer
This article was reviewed and updated June 2007.
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