Article: Doctors Identify Early Warning Signs for Ovarian Cancer

[writermama]

I have a friend who is an 8 year survivor of Ovarian Cancer. She was very lucky that they caught it early. Most cases of this cancer are found too late.

Until recently, it was believed there were no warning signs, but doctors have identified some. Early intervention may change this cancer's scary statistics.

If you have ovaries (or love someone who does) pay attention to these warning signs (but don't panic, each can have other causes):

- bloating
- pelvic or abdominal pain
- difficulty eating or feeling full quickly
- feeling a frequent or urgent need to urinate

"A woman who has any of those problems nearly every day for more than two or three weeks is advised to see a gynecologist, especially if the symptoms are new and quite different from her usual state of health."

New York Times Article:
http://tinyurl.com/25ycuw

HTH,

[megs4413]

fascinating! thanks for the link!

[Sillygirl]

Wow. I really think there will need to be followup to establish that this recommendation saves lives, rather than increasing costs. There are going to be many, many ultrasounds and blood tests and CT scans and even exploratory surgeries done based on this guideline. And it's not even clear that the extra cancers that will be found will be found early enough to make a difference in survival rates.

I mean, well and good to remind physicians that intraabdominal malignancy is on the differential for all thsoe non-specific symptoms listed above. And it's interesting to hear that the symptoms strike women with ovarian cancer earlier than people might otherwise think. But the outcomes of this change in practice need to be tracked very carefully - right now, I remain pretty skeptical.

[Globetrotter]

Breast and ovarian cancer are present in my husband's family. It gives me the shivers just thinking about it :( I'm thinking this would be most important for high risk people. my sil didn't discover it until stage III advanced.

Kris

[KBecks]

I wonder what other indicators there are. I have bloating and urge to urinate frequently what feels like all the time.

[kochh2]

we lost my mother-in-law to this devastating disease, and those were all symptoms she discussed... i am so glad to see it getting more press and making people more aware... it is a horrible disease.

[gatorsmom]

My 26 year old girlfriend died of ovarian cancer. I remember she complained for a long time that she always felt bloated. She complained too that her pants were fitting tighter and she was gaining weight. She ended up finding a grapefruit size tumor on her ovary. She died 2 years later. So tragic.

Lisa
Mom to Gator July 2003
And Cha-Cha July 2005
and surprise! twins due 11/07!

[lizajane]

perhaps the notion that one should see a gyn if she has these symptoms is enough to help women catch the disease earlier. i know that i find my GP isn't as keen on investigating non-specific symptoms as i would like her to be. these symptoms could present as IBS, for example, which would lead one to gastrointestial treatment.

frankly, the symptoms described sounds just like pregnancy to me. maybe that will help women get to a gyn.