HYDERABAD: International Women’s Day is recognised worldwide as a day to celebrate women’s achievements, recognise challenges and to focus on women’s rights and gender equality. On this day, it seems only right to focus on something very fundamental to achieving these goals, i.e. women’s health and cancer awareness.
Breast, cervix, uterine and ovarian cancer are some of the common cancers specific to women. Worldwide, breast and cervical cancer awareness have increased significantly since the advancements in screening techniques (mammogram and pap smear), the introduction of cervical cancer vaccines and general knowledge about early signs and symptoms.
A less-talked-about cancer is ovarian cancer, which unfortunately gets detected in advanced stages in most women, the reason being the very non-specific nature of symptoms. Although the incidence of ovarian cancer is quite low, it is the fifth most common cause of cancer deaths in women worldwide.
The five-year survival rate is dismal at 49.1 per cent, meaning that half the women diagnosed with this cancer, unfortunately, succumb to it.
The common signs and symptoms of ovarian cancer include abdominal/pelvic pain, increased abdominal size, bloating, feeling full and difficulty eating. These are symptoms that several women experience at some point in time. However, the occurrence of these symptoms frequently over a span of few months, should increase suspicion of ovarian cancer.
A simple and widely available tool for identifying ovarian cancer is an ultrasound. Imaging features, along with a CA125 blood test, can help quantify the suspicion of cancer. Further investigations are then done to confirm the diagnosis. Once confirmed, surgery is the treatment modality of choice for the early stages. This usually involves removal of the ovaries, uterus, samples of abdominal tissue and fluid. In the advanced stages, chemotherapy may be required before attempting surgery or sometimes may be the sole treatment offered to palliate symptoms and prolong life.
There are no approved screening methods to detect ovarian cancers in women, who have no symptoms. Hence, the only way of identifying it early is to be armed with the knowledge and awareness of this entity and to seek help early on.
(Dr Nanditha Sesikeran, Consultant Radiation Oncologist)