DIAGNOSIS How is ovarian cancer diagnosed?
It’s much easier to treat ovarian cancer when your doctor diagnoses it in the early stages. However, it’s not easy to detect. Your ovaries are situated deep within the abdominal cavity, so you're unlikely to feel a tumor. There's no routine diagnostic screening available for ovarian cancer. That's why it's so important for you to report unusual or persistent symptoms to your doctor.
If your doctor is concerned that you have ovarian cancer, they’ll likely recommend a pelvic exam. Performing a pelvic exam can help your doctor discover irregularities, but small ovarian tumors are very difficult to feel. As the tumor grows, it presses against the bladder and rectum. Your doctor may be able to detect irregularities during a rectovaginal pelvic examination.
WHAT IS OVARIAN CANCER?
Ovarian cancer is when abnormal cells in the ovary begin to multiply out of control and form a tumor. If left untreated, the tumor can spread to other parts of the body. This is called metastatic ovarian cancer. The ovaries are two female reproductive glands that produce ova, or
eggs. They also produce the female hormones estrogen and progesterone.
Ovarian cancer often has warning signs, but the earliest symptoms are vague and easy to
dismiss. Twenty percent of ovarian cancers are detected at an early stage.
In this article you will find information on ovarian cancer including:
symptoms types risks diaonosis
