DOHA: More than 70 percent of cases with ovarian cancer are diagnosed at an advanced stage of the disease because the symptoms are vague and non-specific, according an expert.
Most women with ovarian cancer are diagnosed at an average age of 63 years, said Dr Afaf Al Ansari, Senior Consultant, Gynecological Oncology at HMC’s Women’s Hospital.
Ovarian cancer has been identified to be the leading cause of death out of the gynaecological cancers, in Europe and the United States, and also the fifth leading cause of cancer mortality worldwide. Ovarian cancer causes more deaths than any other cancer of the female reproductive system. But when ovarian cancer is found in its early stages, it can be very treatable.
“The incidence of ovarian cancer increases with age, with the average age of diagnosis being 63. More than 70 percent of cases present with advanced disease because the symptoms are vague and non-specific, such as bloating, abdominal distention and early fullness,” explained Dr Al Ansari. She highlighted that known risk factors for ovarian cancer are having a first child later in life, obesity, a menstrual cycle that started at a young age, a late menopause, genetic predisposition and certain fertility drugs.
Hamad Medical Corporation’s (HMC) Women’s Hospital is continuing to raise awareness of gynecological cancers, such as ovarian cancer, among women in Qatar, by advising them to watch out for unusual signs and symptoms that are not normal for them.
Dr Al Ansari explained that ovarian cancer often goes undetected until it has spread within the pelvis and abdomen. “At this late stage, ovarian cancer is more difficult to treat and can be fatal. Early-stage ovarian cancer, when the disease is confined to the ovary, is more likely to be treated successfully.”
“Early ovarian cancer often has no signs or symptoms, and any that exist are often mild, making this disease difficult to detect. This means it is very important to pay attention to your body and know what is normal for you. If you think something is different or you detect changes in your body it may be that it is caused by something other than cancer, but the only way to know for sure is to see your doctor,” Dr Al Ansari advised.
Ovarian cancer may cause one or more of these signs and symptoms: unusual feeling of fullness, bloating in the area below the stomach, pain in the pelvic or abdominal area (the area below the stomach and between the hip bones); back pain; pain during sexual intercourse; abnormal bleeding and a change in bathroom habits such as having to pass urine urgently or very often, constipation, or diarrhea.
The Peninsula
