Are you at risk of ovarian cancer?

Lisa Salmon says early diagnosis is crucial with ovarian cancer.

Sat, 27 Feb, 2016 - 00:00

Lisa Salmon

IT’S not unusual for women to feel bloated or have tummy pain — but if these symptoms are new and persistent, it’s time to ‘speak up’.

There are countless causes for this type of abdominal symptom — most of which are not serious and nothing to worry about — but they could also be a sign of ovarian cancer.

TIME MATTERS:

Ovarian cancer is the fourth most common cancer and more than 300 women are diagnosed with ovarian cancer in Ireland each year.

When women are diagnosed in the early stages of ovarian cancer, they have a 90% chance of surviving for more than five years, but this reduces to 22% when diagnosed in the later stages, say experts.

Despite the figures, on the whole, outcomes for ovarian cancer have improved.

Twenty years ago, only 20% of women diagnosed lived beyond five years, whereas today, women with ovarian cancer have a 46% chance of living at least five years longer — but early diagnosis is very important.

WHAT’S THE PROBLEM?

In a British survey of 1,000 women, many said they were either too embarrassed to talk to their GP about sexual health issues, or they didn’t feel they were being taken seriously when they did.

More than a quarter (27%) said they’d put off seeing a doctor due to embarrassment, and almost one in five (17%) felt it was a waste of time to go for an appointment, as they’d previously felt ‘fobbed off’.

Many potential symptoms are vague, or extremely common.

Alongside persistent bloating, the four main symptoms are stomach pain, difficulty eating, or feeling full quickly, and needing to pee more frequently.

Doctors advise anybody concerned to keep a “symptom diary”, which they can take with them to their GP.

DON’T BE FOBBED OFF:

Ovarian cancer can only be accurately detected — or ruled out — with tests.

If women are concerned about their symptoms, but their GP hasn’t thoroughly discussed their worries with them, or referred them for tests, it’s important to be persistent.

WHO’S AT RISK?

Women of all ages can get ovarian cancer, though it is far more common as we get older (around 80% of cases occur in women over 50).

Other risk factors can include a family history — if two or more relatives from the same side of your family have had ovarian cancer under the age of 50, or there’s been more than one case of ovarian and breast cancer in your close family, you may have a higher risk of developing ovarian cancer (though it doesn’t mean you definitely will), as you may have inherited the a faulty BRCA1 or BRCA2 gene, believed to create a greater chance (35-60%) of developing the disease.

In addition, a rare condition called hereditary non-polyposis colorectal cancer (HNPCC), which runs in families, can slightly increase the risk of developing ovarian cancer (as well as bowel, stomach, colon, pancreatic, biliary, and bladder cancer), plus obesity, HRT, smoking, and a history of endometriosis, and long menstruation (which could result from starting your periods before the age of 12, going through menopause later than 55 and not having children) have also been linked with possible increased risk.