Ovarian Cancer ....

 I had a weird light bulb moment this morning reading the paper ....

It sounds ridiculous but after reading the great article in the Sunday Mail in the Body+Soul liftout about Ovarian Cancer ... I realized what a rather big bullet I dodged .....

Why this didnt click to me sooner - I dont know ....

What is ovarian cancer?

Ovarian cancer is the growth of malignant cells in one or both ovaries, and is often accompanied by the spread of malignant cells to surrounding organs in the abdominal cavity. Whilst a small number of cases appear to have an underlying genetic component, in most instances the causes of ovarian cancer are unknown.
DIAGNOSIS
How is ovarian cancer diagnosed?
There is no screening test available for ovarian cancer. Ovarian cancer is usually detected by a combination of several tests and examinations. The final diagnosis always requires the pathological analysis of a tissue sample.
Physical examination: A general check up, including an internal pelvic examination.
Blood tests: A full blood count may be done and a measure of the blood protein CA 125, which is often raised in women with ovarian cancer. Other special 'tumour markers' may also be tested for, but some tumours will not have elevations of these markers and the type of marker depends on the type of tumour.
Imaging tests: A chest and/or abdominal x-rays and an ultrasound scan of the pelvis are usually done. Ultrasound scanning cannot give a definite diagnosis though. A CT scan may see if the cancer has spread to other parts of the body, but this cannot definitely diagnose ovarian cancer either.
Biopsy: This is sometimes done during the operation. A sample of tissue is sent to the laboratory to be looked at under the microscope to confirm or exclude the diagnosis.

WHAT ARE THE STATISTICS?

Incidence

• Ovarian cancer is the ninth most common cancer diagnosed in women and the second most commonly diagnosed gynaecological cancer 
• Every year approximately 1,200 Australian women are diagnosed with ovarian cancer, most of them with an advanced stage of the disease
• On average 3 Australian women are diagnosed every day
• One in 90 women will develop ovarian cancer in her lifetime
• Six out of 10 ovarian cancer cases occur in women over the age of 60 
• The average age of women at diagnosis is 63 years
• The risk of ovarian cancer increases with age
• An estimated 1,488 women are expected to be diagnosed with ovarian cancer in 2015

Mortality

• Ovarian cancer is the seventh most common cause of cancer death in Australian women
• Ovarian cancer is the most common cause of death from a gynaecological cancer

Survival
Every woman with ovarian cancer is treated as an individual case, depending on the stage of the disease and other personal factors. It is therefore very difficult to give a general prognosis. If the cancer is diagnosed and treated early, between 80-100% of patients will survive for more than five years. But only approximately 30% of women diagnosed at advanced stages will survive for more than five years.  See 'How is Ovarian Cancer Treated?' for further information about survival rates.

• The five year survival rate for Australian women with ovarian cancer is only about 40%
• In comparison, the five year survival rate for breast cancer is about 88%

Get into Witchery and buy a white shirt ... today ...

Or go to www.ocrf.com.au