Ovarian Cancer Research Paper

What Is Ovarian Cancer?

Christiana Herrera

University of La Verne

Ovarian Cancer

Ovarian cancer is a disease that occurs when there is an out-of-control growth of abnormal cells in the ovaries causing cancerous cells to be created. The ovaries are part of a woman’s reproductive system; this is where the main source of a woman’s female hormones are located and is also where the eggs are produced for reproduction. Ovarian cancer can spread throughout the body like other types of cancers but in most cases it stays in the abdomen and affects organs such as intestines, liver, and stomach.

Signs and Symptoms of Ovarian Cancer

According to many sources, there are no symptoms in the early stages of ovarian cancer. But when symptoms do occur

they are usually caused by other things. Some of the most common symptoms include swelling of the stomach or bloating, pelvic or belly pain, feeling full quickly or trouble eating, and having to urinate often or feeling as if you have to go right away. Some other symptoms can include tiredness, upset stomach, back pain, pain during sex, constipation, menstrual changes, and abdominal swelling with weight change. If any of these symptoms occurs for more than two week it is suggested that you should see your physician to get checked out. Women may develop unexplained fluid in the abdominal cavity that contributes to the abdominal discomfort and a physician can check for this with a pelvic or rectal exam ("Facts about OVARIAN CANCER," n.d.).
Etiology/Causes of Ovarian Cancer
Ovarian Cancer would be considered more of an environmental disease because it is a type of cancer and there are many risk factors that can cause cells to start growing and dividing uncontrollably but it can also be inherited through genetics.

Some risk factors linked to ovarian cancers are a high-fat diet, never having children or not having children until late in life, obesity, infertility, using fertility drugs but not becoming pregnant, starting your periods at a young age or going through menopause at an older than average age, use of talcum powder on the genital area, belonging to the Caucasian race or being of Jewish descent, and having a family history of ovarian or breast cancer ("Facts about OVARIAN CANCER," n.d.). Although most ovarian cancers are not inherited there is about 5 to 10 percent of ovarian cancers that do run in families meaning if one of you family members, especially in your immediate family, has ovarian cancer you have a higher risk of getting it.

Incidence and Morbidity of Ovarian Cancer

Since ovarian cancer happens in the ovaries it can only occur in women due to the fact that men do not possess ovaries. Ovarian cancer ranks fifth as the cause of cancer death in women and is more common among Caucasian women age 63 years or older. A woman’s risk of getting invasive ovarian cancer in her lifetime is about 1 in 73but her chance of dying from invasive ovarian cancer is about 1 in 100. The American Cancer Society’s estimates for ovarian cancer in the

United States for 2014 are about 21,980 new cases and the about 14,270 deaths ("Overview of Ovarian Cancer," n.d.).
Diagnosis for Ovarian Cancer
Like many other types of cancers there are different test that can be used to detect ovarian cancer. Some of these test include pelvic examinations, ultrasound, CT scans, PET scans, blood tests, colonoscopy, laparoscopy, and MRIs. If there is a definitive diagnosis of ovarian cancer surgery is required. The initial surgery has two aims; first, to remove any cancer that exists (or as much as possible), including removing the ovaries and the uterus and second, to sample tissues and surrounding nodes to determine where the tumor has spread (to determine the stage of the disease ("Facts about OVARIAN CANCER," n.d.). Ovarian cancer is usually not found and diagnosed till stage 3, which is the advanced stage, since symptoms of ovarian cancer are not very noticeable depending on if there are any signs at all in the earlier stages.
Treatment of Ovarian Cancer
Since Ovarian Cancer is a type of cancer the treatments for it are similar to treatments for other types of cancer like breast and lung.

The main treatments for ovarian cancer include chemotherapy, radiation therapy, targeted therapy, and surgery. The top treatment for ovarian cancer patients is surgery. Depending on certain factors like how far it has spread, your health and if you hope to still have children or not determines how much and what type of surgery is available. Typically during the surgery a women’s ovary, either one or both, and/ or uterus is removed to rid of the cancer. Chemotherapy is when drugs enter the bloodstream through an IV or taken by mouth in a series of stages to kill cancerous cells or shrink tumors. Targeted therapy is a newer type of cancer treatment that uses drugs or other substances to find and attack cancer cells while doing little damage to normal cells. Radiation therapy is when they use radiation or high energy x-rays to kill cancer cells or shrink tumors. All these types of therapies come with different sides affects such as tiredness, nausea, diarrhea or loss of

appetite.
Prevention of Ovarian Cancer
Like many other diseases and cancers there is no specific way to 100 percent prevent ovarian cancer but there are precautions and methods that can helps lower the risk of developing Ovarian Cancer. Some of these methods include oral contraception, breastfeeding, pregnancy, tubal ligation (getting your tubes tied), hysterectomy and prophylactic oophorectomy (removal of one or both ovaries). With a good diet and frequent exercise you can also have a lower risk of getting ovarian and other types of cancers and diseases.

Bibliography
Facts about OVARIAN CANCER. (n.d.). Retrieved October 15, 2014, from http://www.idph.state.il.us/cancer/factsheets/ovarian.htm

Medical Information | Understanding | What Is Ovarian Cancer? (n.d.). Retrieved October 15, 2014, from http://www.ovarian.org/what_is_ovarian_cancer.php

Overview of Ovarian Cancer. (n.d.). Retrieved October 15, 2014, from http://www.cancer.org/acs/groups/cid/documents/webcontent/003070-pdf.pdf