Skip to main content
Submitted by PatientsEngage on 9 May 2017

World Ovarian Cancer Day

Nearly 70 % of ovarian cancers are not discovered until they have reached an advanced stage III or later when it is more difficult to treat and can be fatal. Dr Kiran Coelho, gynaecologist and obstetrician, counsels women, particularly those at high-risk, to undergo regular ovarian cancer screening to be safe.

1. What is the rate of incidence of ovarian cancer among Indian women?

The incidence of ovarian cancer has shown an increasing trend in India in the last 20 years. Although it depends on various factors, roughly the incidence is estimated to be 0.9 to 8.4 per 100,000 person years amongst various registries. The highest incidence was noted in Pune and Delhi registries.

2. Why is it that doctors say that ovarian cancer is the worst of female cancers?

Between 70 and 75% of ovarian cancers are not discovered until they have reached an advanced stage III or later. Efforts should therefore be concentrated on earlier diagnosis.

Mass screening for ovarian cancer is not currently possible because of a lack of specific markers for use in biological and imaging techniques, although new markers are now being developed. Ovarian cancer often goes undetected until it has spread within the pelvis and stomach. At this late stage, ovarian cancer is more difficult to treat and can be fatal. In simple words, like we have the PAP smear to detect CERVICAL cancer at an early stage, no such effective screening test is available for ovarian cancers.

3. At what age are women most likely to get ovarian cancer?

Ovarian cancer is rare in women under the age of 40. Fifty per cent of all cases of ovarian cancer are found in women aged 63 or older. You’re more likely to develop it after you reach menopause.

4. What are the early warning symptoms of ovarian cancer?

Ovarian cancer often has no symptoms in the early stages

The most common symptoms of ovarian cancer are:

  • feeling constantly bloated
  • a swollen tummy
  • discomfort in your tummy or pelvic area
  • feeling full quickly when eating, or loss of appetite
  • needing to pee/urinate more often or more urgently than normal

Other symptoms of ovarian cancer can include:

  • persistent indigestion or nausea
  • pain during sex
  • a change in your bowel habits
  • back pain
  • vaginal bleeding – particularly bleeding after the menopause
  • feeling tired all the time
  • unintentional weight loss

5. Is there any sort of test or screening for ovarian cancer?

A number of tests have been evaluated as potential methods of screening for ovarian cancer. Screening tests with the greatest amount of clinical test data supporting their use include transvaginal ultrasound and the blood test for the serum marker CA-125. (Serum markers are substances in the blood that can be detected in blood tests.)

While it is not clear that ovarian cancer screening will result in a decrease in the number of deaths in women at inherited risk, those who have mutations in ovarian cancer susceptibility genes (women who have first degree relatives with ovarian or breast cancer) should undergo ovarian cancer screening using a combination of transvaginal ultrasound and CA-125 testing. Screening should generally begin between ages 30 and 35. These women with family history of ovarian or breast cancers should also undergo genetic counselling and if required testing for common genes involved in this familial predisposition like BRCA1 and BRCA2.

6. What percentage of ovarian cancer is diagnosed in Stage 1?

In stage 1, the cancer has not spread beyond the ovaries. Only 15% of all ovarian cancers are found at this early stage.

7. What is the survival rate for ovarian cancer?

Ovarian epithelial cancer (malignant cells form in the tissue covering the ovary) is the most common type of ovarian cancer.

Below is the relative five-year survival rate for epithelial ovarian cancer:














Stage Survival Rate
1 90%
1A 94%
1B 92%
1C 85%
2 70%
2A 78%
2B 73%
3 39%
3A 59%
3B 52%
3C 39%
4 17%
   

8. Who is most at risk for ovarian cancer?

Factors that may increase the risk of ovarian cancer:

  • Age: Two-thirds of women diagnosed with ovarian cancer are age 55 or older
  • Childbearing status: Women, who have delivered at least one child, especially before age 30, are at a lower risk for developing the disease. The more children a woman has, the more her ovarian cancer risk declines. Women who breastfeed further reduce their risk.
  • Obesity: Women with a body mass index (BMI) of 30 or greater may have a higher risk of developing ovarian cancer.
  • Breast, colorectal or endometrial cancer: Women who’ve been diagnosed with one of these cancers have a higher risk of developing ovarian cancer
  • Genetic mutations: Some women who develop ovarian cancer have an inherited mutation on one of two genes called breast cancer gene 1 (BRCA1) and breast cancer gene 2 (BRCA2). Women with the BRCA1 mutation, have a 35 to 70 per cent higher risk of ovarian cancer. Women with the BRCA2 mutation have a 10 to 30 per cent higher risk. However, the vast majority of women who are diagnosed with ovarian cancer don’t have either mutation. If you are concerned about this risk factor for ovarian cancer, you can discuss getting tested for both of the BRCA mutations with your OB-GYN

9. What are the treatment options?

The treatment options usually depend on the stage at which ovarian cancer is diagnosed. Stage 1 is considered early stage and here surgery is often the mainstay of treatment followed by chemotherapy if required.

In later stages, depending upon the spread of the cancer and the size either chemotherapy is given initially to reduce the size of the tumour followed by surgery or surgical debulking is done first followed by chemotherapy. Patients who are not fit for surgery may be given chemotherapy and considered for surgery later, or treated primarily with chemotherapy.

The aim of surgery is to confirm the diagnosis, define the extent of disease, and resect all visible tumours.

10. Can individuals take any preventative measures to reduce their risk of ovarian cancer?

There are several ways you can reduce your risk of developing epithelial ovarian cancer. Much less is known about ways to lower the risk of developing germ cell and stromal tumours of the ovaries.

Oral contraceptives

Using oral contraceptives (birth control pills) decreases the risk of developing ovarian cancer, especially among women who use them for several years. Women who used oral contraceptives for 5 or more years have about a 50 per cent lower risk of developing ovarian cancer compared with women who never used oral contraceptives. Refer CDC guidelines on Oral contraceptives and Ovarian Cancer Prevention 

Gynecologic surgery

Both tubal ligation and hysterectomy may reduce the chance of developing ovarian cancer, but experts agree that these operations should only be done for valid medical reasons -- not for their effect on ovarian cancer risk.

Prevention strategies for women with a family history of ovarian cancer or BRCA mutation

If your family history suggests that you (or a close relative) might have a syndrome linked with a high risk of ovarian cancer, you might want to consider genetic counselling and testing. During genetic counselling (by a genetic counsellor or other health care professional with training in genetic risk evaluation), your personal medical and family history is reviewed. This can help predict whether you are likely to have one of the gene mutations associated with an increased ovarian cancer risk.

 

Research update: Blood Tests for Early Detection of Ovarian Cancer

Condition

Stories

  • A pic of a plane midflight and overlay of the text Travel tips for Cancer patients
    कैंसर सर्वाइवर के लिए यात्रा से संबंधित नुस्खे
    कैंसर रोगी और उत्तरजीवी (सर्वाईवर) यात्रा कर सकते हैं, पर उन्हें कुछ ख़ास बातों का ख़याल रखना चाहिए। इस लेख में इस के लिए डॉ. शीतल पटेल से कुछ सुझाव हैं और उर्वी सबनीस, नंदिता मुरलीधर और मोना चौधरी (सभी कैंसर उत्तरजीवी / सर्वाईवर) का बहुमूल्य योगदान भी शामिल है। कैंसर रोगी को किसी भी यात्रा को शुरू करने से पहले अपने डॉक्टर की सहमति ज़रूर प्राप्त कर लेनी चाहिए। यात्रा का कार्यक्रम ऐसा बनाएं ताकि आप यात्रा के कारण अपने किसी भी टेस्ट या फॉलो-उप अपॉइंटमेंट से न चूकें। यात्रा करने के लिए ध्यान रहे कि…
  • Image of a woman experiencing hot flashes and using a hand fan. Text overlay on blue strip - Menopause And Cancer
    Tips To Manage Menopause During Cancer Treatment
    Developing menopause while going through cancer is a double whammy for all women. The sudden jolt of menopause caused by cancer treatment is not only physically but mentally straining as well.  Can physiotherapy help alleviate these distressing menopausal effects and improve quality of life for women with cancer? Ajeeta Kulkarni, a senior physiotherapist at Tata Memorial hospital in Mumbai, tells us how. What are the causes of menopause in cancer patients? Menopause is the decline in the…
  • A partially visible person in white top and pants holding the urge to urinate with text on blue strip How to manage incontinence
    Managing Bowel and Bladder Incontinence in Cancer Patients
    Bowel (fecal) and bladder (urinary) incontinence is a relatively common side-effect that can occur during cancer treatment. Due to the stigma and under-recognition attached to this condition, quality of life suffers significantly in persons with cancer. Learn more about managing this condition with Prachi P. Narkhede, a MPT Cardiovascular & Respiratory Physiotherapist at Tata Memorial Hospital. What is incontinence? It is loss of control of bladder and bowel causing accidental leakage of…
  •  Alpa in a pale yellow kurta and pink dupatta against a yellow and red backdrop and the overlay text of Stay Calm, Think Positive
    A Positive Environment Helps In Ovarian Cancer Recovery
    Alpa Amish Chedda, 45, was diagnosed with stage 3C ovarian cancer in 2019 with a relapse three years later. Here she recounts her experiences with radical surgery, new chemotherapy drugs and the importance of staying positive and hopeful. It all started in early December when I found my stomach bloating. I used to feel uneasy in my abdomen and would experience slight breathlessness. Looking at my bloating tummy, my husband, Amish, would often tease me and would ask me to focus on my workouts. I…
  • Webinar: Ovarian Cancer Awareness and Management
    This webinar is not just for Ovarian Cancer survivors but also for survivors of breast cancer, uterine cancer, colorectal cancer and all women at risk of Ovarian Cancer. Ovarian Cancer is a difficult to diagnose cancer. So it is very important for us to be aware of the surprising symptoms of Ovarian cancer. We must also know the factors that increase risk. Additionally, in COVID times, it is important to understand how to continue treatment and when you should vaccinate. We bring together a…
  • Upcoming Webinar: Managing Lower Limb Lymphedema on 18th Dec 2021
    Mark your calendars. Share with cancer survivors of cervical cancer, vulvar cancer, endometrial cancer, ovarian cancer and men after prostate cancer and penile cancer. They should all know about lower limb lymphedema, a significant survivorship issue   While there is some awareness on lymphedema after breast cancer, we found that the awareness on lower limb lymphedema was extremely low. Lower Limb Lymphedema affects women with gynaecological cancers like cervical cancer, vulvar…
  • A pic of a plane midflight and overlay of the text Travel tips for Cancer patients
    Travel Tips For Cancer Patients And Survivors
    Cancer patients and survivors can travel. However it is important to follow good travel practices. Dr. Shital Patel shares tips which include valuable contribution from Urvi Sabnis, Nandita Muralidhar and Mona Choudhuri, all cancer survivors. As a cancer patient, before you embark on any journey, make sure you acquire the consent of your treating doctor. Schedule it so that you do not miss out on any follow-up appointments or tests. Make sure you are feeling fit and healthy, start off with…
  • Upcoming Webinar: Breaking The Silence on Gynaecological Cancers
    Join us as on 28th August 4PM IST as we speak to survivors of Gynaecological Cancers like Ovarian cancer and Uterine/ Endometrial cancer and the lessons they would like to share. Gynaecological symptoms get hushed all the time. Very few women come forward to speak about gynaecological cancers like Ovarian Cancer, Endometrial or Uterine Cancer, Cervical Cancer, Vulva and Vaginal Cancers. PatientsEngage is extremely grateful that we have three women who are breaking the silence by talking…
  • Early stage Ovarian cancer Mona Choudhuri
    I Am Thankful Ovarian Cancer Was Detected Early
    Mona Choudhuri considers herself very lucky to have been diagnosed in the early stages of ovarian cancer. Here she shares her experience to help raise awareness of the importance of routine physical examinations and screenings for women. She also highlights the issue of lymphedema of the leg.  Ovarian cancer was never on my radar of health concerns. It was fibroids in my uterus that had been my constant worry since my mid-30s. I would have discomfort, bloating and frequent abdominal pain.…
  • Image of Kamini with her husband
    हार न मानें, योद्धा बनें
    ओवेरियन (अंडाशयी) कैंसर की उत्तरजीवी कामिनी प्रधान (56) अपने स्टेज 3-B ओवेरियन कैंसर के निदान के छह साल के बाद हौसला बनाए रखने की सलाह देती हैं। इस लेख में वे बताती हैं कि उन्होंने किन परिस्थितियों का सामना किया और वे कैसे अपनी लड़ाई लड़ती रहीं। यह 17 अप्रैल, 2008 की सुबह की बात है। मैं थोड़ा असहज महसूस कर रही थी और मुझे बहुत पसीना आ रहा था। मुझे डायबिटीज़  (मधुमेह) है। इसलिए मुझे लगा कि मेरे ब्लड शुगर (रक्त शर्करा) का स्तर गिर गया होगा। मैंने हमारे पारिवारिक चिकित्सक को जाँच के लिए घर बुलाया…