Ovarian cancer is the 5th most common cancer in women, and is rising, according to the National Institute for Care and Health Excellence (NICE), and with an annual death rate of over 400 women, UK survival rates are amongst the worst in Europe, yet many women still don’t know the symptoms of ovarian cancer.
Ovarian cancer – the silent killer
Ovarian cancer has also been called the “silent” killer because often there are no symptoms, or early symptoms are mild, making the disease difficult to recognise. Also, because symptoms can be similar to less serious conditions and often ignored, by the time a diagnosis of ovarian cancer has been made, the disease has progressed to an advanced stage.
Katherine Taylor, chief executive of the Ovarian Cancer Action says:
“Ovarian cancer is particularly difficult to diagnose, yet early diagnosis is crucial….. It’s important women feel empowered to listen to their bodies, and to speak up if they think something’s wrong.”
The key is that the symptoms will occur almost every day and not go away.
Symptoms
Watch out for these ovarian cancer symptoms
- persistent stomach pain that feels different from normal indigestion and menstrual problems
- pelvic pain
- bloating
- increased abdominal size
- finding it difficult to eat or feeling full quickly
- needing to wee more often including bouts of incontinence
Other symptoms you may notice, that are most likely the result of other conditions in the pelvic area, but may be present in some women with ovarian cancer are:
- back pain – a persistent, achy, dull pain
- changes in your bowel habits (diarrhoea or constipation)
- feeling tired all the time
- abnormal vaginal bleeding
- pain during sex
- rapid and unexplained weight loss
- indigestion or nausea
Visit your GP
Don’t wait too long. If you think that you may have a problem, go and see your GP and be persistent.
Your GP will be fully alive to the implications of your symptoms and aware of the importance of an early diagnosis.
NICE published guidelines, Ovarian Cancer: Recognition and Initial Management, in 2011. It provides the recommendation that GPs:
1. Carry out tests in primary care if a woman (especially if 50 or over) reports having any of the following symptoms on a persistent or frequent basis – particularly more than 12 times per month:
- persistent abdominal distension (women often refer to this as ‘bloating’
- feeling full (early satiety) and/or loss of appetite
- pelvic or abdominal pain
- increased urinary urgency and /or frequency
2. Consider carrying out tests if a woman reports unexplained weight loss, fatigue or changes in bowel habit.
3. Advise any woman who is not suspected of having ovarian cancer to return to her GP if her symptoms become more frequent and/or persistent.
4. Carry out appropriate tests for ovarian cancer in any woman of 50 or over who has experienced symptoms within the last 12 months that suggest irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), because IBS rarely presents for the first time in women of this age.
Your GP will also organise an ultrasound scan of the abdomen and pelvis to check for any abnormalities:
A pelvic and transvaginal ultrasound, to look for an ovarian lump.
A pelvic or abdominal CT scan to check for the spread of cancer. MRI is not routinely used for assessing women with suspected ovarian cancer.
Referral to hospital
Under NICE guidelines you should then be referred to hospital within two weeks, to be seen by a gynaecologist and a specialist multidisciplinary cancer team who would investigate further.
Several tests may be needed to help confirm the diagnosis and to stage the disease. The aim of staging is to find out:
- how much the cancer has grown
- whether the cancer has spread to local lymph glands
- whether the cancer has has spread from the place where it first started to another place in the body (metastasised)
Stages of ovarian cancer
The stage of the disease is the most important factor affecting outcome. There is a 90% chance of surviving for more than five years if the cancer is diagnosed in the early stages, but this reduces to 22% when diagnosed in the later stages.
- Stage 1 – the cancer is confined to one or both ovaries. It is divided into three sub-stages, stage 1A, stage 1B and stage 1C.
- Stage 2 – the cancer has spread outside the ovaries but not outside the pelvic area (uterus, bladder, lower intestine).
- Stage 3 – the cancer has spread outside the pelvis but not involved other areas of the body.
- Stage 4 – the cancer has spread to other parts of the body such as the liver, lungs and brain.
It is important to remember that any statistics on how many women survive this type of cancer are an estimate only and they cannot predict exactly what will happen to you.
How can Graysons help?
Here at Graysons we recognise the devastating, and in some cases fatal, effect that a delayed diagnosis of cancer can have. We understand the importance of compensation to you as it can greatly improve quality of life for you and your family and provide the care and security that is needed.
If you would like to talk to a member of our specialist team then please contact us for a confidential and free discussion today.
You can find out more about how we can help if you have suffered delayed or misdiagnosis of cancer on our web pages.
