What is ovarian cancer?
In ovarian cancer, there grows a tumor at one or both ovaries. The disease shows no symptoms in the beginning. However, the tumor can spread into the abdominal cavity and later in the lymph nodes, lungs, and other organs.
What are the signs and symptoms of ovarian cancer?
- vague abdominal pain;
- bloating;
- nausea;
- constipation;
- need to urinate more often than usual;
- belly gets thicker by moisture;
- fatigue and weight loss, without having to provide an explanation.
The doctor may treat ovarian cancer differently. Most women receive a combination of surgery and chemotherapy.
Unfortunately, ovarian cancer is often discovered late. Of all women with ovarian cancer cures 35%. The disease usually occurs in women older than 50 years, but can occur at any age.
There are different types of ovarian cancer. The most common type (80 to 90% of the tumors) is produced at the surface of the ovaries. This form is called epithelial ovarian cancer or adenocarcinoma.
How does the doctor determines that you have ovarian cancer?
If the doctor suspects that you have ovarian cancer, then they will refer you to a gynecologist. The gynecologist doing some tests to determine if you actually have ovarian cancer.
- Echo of uterus and ovaries. An ultrasound shows a possible tumor and metastases sometimes see on a screen. Also, too much fluid is in the abdominal cavity to see with an echo.
- Blood tests. By blood test determines the CA125 doctor how much you have in your blood. Ovarian cancer cells can make this substance. Approximately eight out of ten women with ovarian cancer is the amount of CA125 in their blood higher than normal.
Additional studies might be:
- Echo. With an ultrasound of the abdominal organs, the doctor may any metastases in the liver, kidneys and lymph nodes discover.
- CT scan or MRI scan. These studies show whether a tumor is, how large the tumor is and where he is.
- Ascites puncture. If you have too much fluid in the abdominal cavity, the physician makes an ascites puncture. Here, the doctor numbs the skin of your abdomen. Then, it brings about a hollow needle into the abdominal cavity. Because the needle is what moisture out. A laboratory technician examines the moisture under the microscope on cancer cells.
- Laparoscopy (keyhole surgery). In a laparoscopy, the doctor can see the organs in your abdomen. With a special viewing tube (laparoscope) it is possible to take tissue abdominal fluid and pieces of road for research.
- Operation. Sometimes abdominal surgery is needed to diagnose with certainty. If you have ovarian cancer, the surgeon remove the tumor during the operation as far away as possible. The operation is then immediately the beginning of the treatment.
Abdominal Surgery for ovarian cancer
Abdominal surgery in ovarian cancer has three goals:
- Know for sure whether it's cancer.
- Watching how extensive the cancer.
- Treatment of the disease.
Usually, the surgeon extracts the uterus, ovaries, and both of a fold of the peritoneum away. In young women who want children, it is sometimes possible to leave the uterus and the healthy ovary. Sometimes, the tumor has grown in the bladder or intestine. The gynecologist also cites a part of the bladder or bowel away.
In a very large tumor, it may be better not to continue operating. You will then chemotherapy to shrink the tumor. If this, then you possibly still be operated.
Chemotherapy in ovarian cancer
Chemotherapy is often an important part of the treatment of ovarian cancer.
Chemotherapy can make sense in the following situations:
- During the operation is all visible tumor tissue removed. You will then be given chemotherapy to combat residual tumor cells.
- During the operation the surgeon has not all the tumor tissue. Chemotherapy should the remaining tumor tissue than smaller. Then usually follows a second surgery, followed by some more chemo treatments.
- Chemotherapy can also be the first treatment, if surgery is not yet possible. After several chemo treatments are watching the doctor or the tumor has become smaller. Then surgery may be possible.
- After a previous successful treatment the disease comes back again. The chemotherapy should facilitate the further expansion of the disease as long as possible against keeping (palliative treatment).
Radiation therapy in ovarian cancer
To complaints to reduce ovarian cancer you can opt for radiation therapy. For example, if you have pain by metastases in the bones or lymph nodes. The goal of radiation therapy is to inhibit the growth of the metastases and the metastases. Take your complaints.
Radiation therapy in ovarian cancer consists of a short radiation cure. You will be one or two weeks each workday a few minutes irradiated. Admission to hospital is not necessary.
Sometimes the doctor recommends to after surgery to irradiate. This can for example if chemotherapy is not possible. Or if the tumor after treatment in the basin has come back and taken away on that spot again. The irradiation must destroy cancer cells left behind. You will then be five or six weeks long minutes irradiated every working day.
Radiation damages not only cancer cells but also the healthy cells to the tumor. This allows you to get the following side effects:
- Fatigue. It takes your body a lot of energy to the healthy cells to repair and the dead cancer cells to clean up. This means you are still weeks after radiation tired. Take extra rest and eat healthy.
- Nausea.
- Diarrhea.
- Complaints that are similar to bladder infection.
After the treatment of ovarian cancer
A treatment of ovarian cancer is heavy, both physical and mental. It takes a long time before you can pick up your normal work again. You can continue for many months, very tired. The emotional processing of the disease also costs a lot of time and energy. Try therefore, certainly the first time, as much as possible.
Some women have difficulty stopping after surgery of urine (incontinence). It may be that in the operation small nerves of the bladder are damaged. Thereby you do not feel that you need to pee. This problem usually goes after a while again.
After treatment have young women with a desire to have children often extra difficult. This is especially true for women whose uterus has not spared could continue and/or the surgeon both ovaries had to get away. Women who have had chemotherapy or radiation therapy, can thereby have become infertile.
After removing or irradiating the ovaries makes your body processes certain sex hormones anymore. This means for young women that they come early in the transition.
Ovarian cancer and sexuality
The treatment for ovarian cancer can affect the sex. The effects differ from woman to woman. Most likely you will experience different sexuality. You will discover and experience together with your partner again what is possible and what you like.
By treating your body produces certain sex hormones anymore. As a result, you can have less desire to make love. But also because you are extremely tired less in need of sex. Probably you do need for tenderness and security.
You must decide when and how you want to make love. There are no medical objections to sexual arousal and getting an orgasm. It can however be less quickly gets excited. If your uterus has been removed, then you have a orgasm maybe a different feel than it used to be. This is because you do not feel more uterine contractions.
Also you may during sexual excitement is less humid. A lubricant can help. Lubricant is for sale at pharmacy or drug store.
By the radiation therapy can your vagina constricted. To fix this you can use petroleum jelly-tampons (a few minutes let it sit). Petroleum jelly-tampons you can supply your own by an ordinary tampon in a jar of vaseline.
Sexual problems are also sometimes along with relationship problems. Your doctor may refer you to a psychologist or a relationship therapist.