Ovarian canceris a disease in which cells of a woman’s ovaries grow abnormally or out of control, and spread to other areas of the body. Ovarian cancer causes more deaths than any other cancer of the female reproductive system.
Women of any age are at risk for ovarian cancer, but older women are much more likely to develop the disease. Approximately 90 percent of women who are diagnosed with the disease are older than 40 years of age at the time of diagnosis. Survival rate is related to the stage at the time of diagnosis. The earlier the diagnosis is made, the better the long-term survival.
Unfortunately, the majority of ovarian cancers are not diagnosed until they are already at Stage III or Stage IV. Some women may have no symptoms before they are diagnosed and others may have symptoms that are very subtle and similar to other stomach and gastrointestinal issues, such as bloating, pelvic pain, a sensation of feeling full very quickly, frequent urination, back pain constipation, abnormal vaginal bleeding, increase in the growth of the abdomen or unintentional weight loss.
If a doctor suspects that a patient may have ovarian cancer he or she may order further testing and perform a pelvic exam to check for a mass or tumor. This type of pelvic exam is a little different than a Pap test, which is a test that only screens for cervical cancer.
Once the diagnosis for cancer of the ovaries is made, it can be treated with either surgery, chemotherapy, radiation therapy or a combination of therapies.
If you or a woman close to you believes there may have been a delay in diagnosingovarian cancer you should contact a medical malpractice attorney or delay in diagnosing ovarian cancer lawyer or contact us for a free consultation and additional information.
