Located deep in the pelvis, the ovary is known as the "secret garden" of women, although it is only a land of bullets, it has superior energy, controls the face and vitality of women, and is one of the most important organs of every woman. Once the ovaries disobey, the consequences are very serious.
In the West, gynecologists have a saying that if "cancer" is one of the most terrible words in the English language, then for most women, "ovarian cancer" is its worst term.
Because it is not easy to detect, ovarian cancer has the highest mortality rate among all gynecological tumors, which can be called the king of gynecological cancer. According to statistics, more than 220,000 women worldwide are diagnosed with ovarian cancer every year, and the number of deaths is as high as 140,000.
According to the data of "2015 China Cancer Statistics" in the internationally renowned academic journal "CA J CLIN"[1], the number of new cases of ovarian cancer was 52,100, the number of deaths was 22,500, and the incidence of ovarian cancer in mainland China increased by 30% and the mortality rate increased by 18% in the past 10 years.
Image source: Stand Cool Helo
First, 70% of advanced patients are prone to recurrence
A genetic mutation that causes the prevalence to skyrocket.
It is the most difficult to diagnose in diseases of the female reproductive system and is also the most malignant of gynecological tumors.
Professor Lang Jinghe, academician of the Chinese Academy of Engineering and chairman of the Obstetrics and Gynecology Branch of the Chinese Medical Association, once commented on ovarian cancer.
In an English textbook called Ovarian Cancer, there is an illustration of one of the 70 little girls in their swaddling carts that is black, meaning that one in every 70 newborn baby girls will experience ovarian cancer at some point in their lives.
Image source: Tencent Medical Code
Although the incidence of ovarian cancer is not as high as that of cervical cancer, the mortality rate is far higher than that of cervical cancer, which is a dangerous enemy, about 70% of patients are found to be advanced (stage 3/4); about 70% of ovarian cancer cannot be cured, the effect is not ideal; about 70% of survival time is not more than 5 years [2].
In addition, there is a special BRCA gene associated with ovarian cancer, which is a human tumor suppressor gene associated with ovarian cancer, once a mutation occurs, the body will lose its function of inhibiting tumorigenesis, resulting in a large number of cancer cells.
"The incidence of ovarian cancer in the general population is only 1.4% (1 in 70), and if there are two relatives of direct ovarian cancer in the family, the chance of developing cancer is 7%, and if it is determined that it is a hereditary ovarian cancer family carrying the BRCA gene, the chance of developing ovarian cancer will reach 50%." Lang Jinghe explained it this way.
Second, there are methods for early screening
But only high-risk groups are suitable for doing it!
More and more research results have demonstrated that "cancer is preventable and treatable", and early screening is more respected by scholars from all walks of life. But for ovarian cancer, if there are no risk factors, must cancer screening be beneficial? Maybe not necessarily.
In 2018, a report published in the journal JAMA, a top medical journal, gave a negative answer to early screening for ovarian cancer: screening for ovarian cancer in asymptomatic women is not only unhelpful, but can be harmful [3]!
In fact, for more than 20 years, the detection of tumor marker CA125 and transvaginal ultrasound as a method of screening for ovarian cancer have been high hopes.
However, in the above report, the results of two clinical studies involving 202,546 and 68,557 people, respectively, show that both THE TWO SCREENING METHODS, CA125 TEST AND TRANSVAGINAL ULTRASOUND, WHETHER USED ALONE OR IN COMBINATION, DID NOT REDUCE OVARIAN CANCER MORTALITY. However, 3.5% of women had complications such as infection, wound rupture, myocardial infarction, and thrombosis after transvaginal ultrasound.
Therefore, academic organizations such as the American Academy of Obstetricians and Gynecologists and the American Cancer Society have also issued a statement that there is currently no effective screening method to detect ovarian cancer early, and ovarian cancer screening is not recommended for women without clinical symptoms.
However, screening for ovarian cancer is necessary for women with risk factors for ovarian cancer. Like what:
Women with a family history of ovarian or breast cancer, endometrial or colon cancer, etc. who require further genetic counseling or evaluation;
Women known to carry mutations in ovarian cancer-related genes, such as mutations such as the BRCA1/2 (breast cancer susceptibility gene 1/2, breast cancer susceptibility gene 1/2) gene or Lynch syndrome-related genes (mismatch repair related genes).
Screening strategies for high-risk women are usually so that women between the ages of 30 and 35 years can begin a combination of transvaginal ultrasound and serum CA125 screening. [4]
Third, these major ovarian cancer warning signals, do not be careless
In addition, women with menstrual cycles of less than 30 days, irregular menstruation and premature age of menarche or increased ovulation, women with fewer or no births, and women who are not breastfeeding, as well as the following lifestyles: high-fat diet, obesity, lack of physical activity, and prolonged sedentary time, also increase the risk of ovarian cancer.
We recommend that you note the following symptoms:
Bloating: This warning sign is most common. Ovarian cancer secretes a lot of ascites, which props up the stomach, and this bloating rate is very fast, one or two months or even only ten days, the stomach will expand rapidly, and it can reach the appearance of pregnancy in October.
Abdominal pain: This is another common warning sign. Frequent, recurrent abdominal pain may be caused by ovarian cancer invading the abdominal organs and peritoneum, and in general, the pain site is blurred and not intense.
Easy to eat: Generally manifested as eating less or not eating food, the stomach will have a feeling of fullness, do not want to eat. This is caused by the huge volume of ovarian cancer, which compresses the gastrointestinal tract.
Urinary frequency and urgency: increased urination and frequent toilet visits, which are related to ovarian cancer pressing on the bladder. Some extreme cases are oliguria and anuria, urinary retention, or hydronephrosis, which is also caused by ovarian cancer pressing on the urethra or ureter.
If the above symptoms occur, it may also be because of other diseases, and it is necessary to go to the oncology specialist in time.
bibliography:
[1] Chen WQ，Zheng RS，Baade PD，et al. Cancer statistic in China,2015[J],CA:A Cancer Journal for Clinicians,2016;
[2] 70% of ovarian cancers are found to be advanced Genetic testing allows the "killer" to appear early http://www.jksb.com.cn/index.php?m=wap&a=show&catid=216&id=108965&from=singlemessage&isappinstalled=0
[3] Henderson JT, Webber EM, Sawaya GF. Screening for ovarian cancer: updated evidence report and systematic review for the US Preventive Services Task Force[J]. JAMA,2018,319(6):595-606.
[4] NCCN Clinical Practice Guidelines in Oncology-Genetic/Familial High-Risk Assessment: Breast and Ovarian (2018 Version I)[DB/OL].
*The content of this article is a popularization of health knowledge and cannot be used as a specific diagnosis and treatment recommendation, nor is it a substitute for face-to-face consultation by a practicing physician, for reference only.
*The copyright of this article belongs to Tencent Medical Code, unauthorized media reprinting is prohibited, and illegal reprinting will be investigated for legal responsibility according to law. Individuals are welcome to forward to the circle of friends.
* Welcome to WeChat search and pay attention to the public account "Tencent Medical Code" to get more health science knowledge.