Epithelial carcinoma of the ovary or Ovarian cancer is one of the most common gynecologic diseases. It is serious and has a very high mortality rate. It is the fifth most frequent cause of cancer death in women. It is most common in women above fifty years of age. The cancer can appear in younger women too. It is seen that women having genetic predisposition are at greater risk. Clinical statistics also show less cases of this malignancy in women using contraceptive medication. Women who have had early pregnancy or have more children also seem to be at a lower risk factor.
Prognostic factors are used to predict the likely course of ovarian cancer. Stage is the only unanimously acknowledged prognostic factor for patients with ovarian cancer. In case of advanced stage patients, volume of residual disease is considered as a diagnostic factor. To begin a prognosis and establish treatment, the physician needs to know the cell type, stage, and grade of the disease. Other factors that may be important include the patient’s age, histopathologic grade, DNA ploidy, Peritoneal fluid cytology and CA125.
The International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics (FIGO), has created standards for the staging of gynecological cancers. Both surgical and pathological findings are taken into account, hence it is called surgicopathologic.
Most ovarian cancer symptoms are seen only in the late stages of the disease. Ovarian cancer is treated with surgery to remove the cancerous cells. This is followed by chemotherapy. It is recommended that people experiencing vaginal bleeding, uncharacteristic period cycles, or intestinal problems should see a physician right away, so that such cases can be detected at the earliest.
Eventually, and like most of the cancers, the exact cause of ovarian cancer is not known. It is also difficult to find precise information due to contradictory studies.
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Ovarian Cancer
10 August 2010 8:30 PM |
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Ovarian cancer begins in the cells that form the ovaries. Among these cells are surface epithelial cells, germ cells, and the sex cord-stromal cells. This is why cancer cells that metastasize from other organ sites to the ovary are not called ovarian cancer. Breast and...
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Stage 4 Ovarian Cancer
10 August 2010 8:30 PM |
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Ovarian cancer is a gynecologic sarcoma, which is second most frequently diagnosed. In the United States, females have a 1.4 % to 2.5 % chance of developing ovarian cancer. The International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics (FIGO), has standardized the staging of gynecological cancers. It...
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Ovarian Cancer Mortality Rate
10 August 2010 8:30 PM |
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Mortality rate refers to the number of people dying due to a particular affliction. Ovarian cancer is a predominantly destructive cancer and is rarely detected in its early stages. It is the gynecological cancer with the highest mortality rate. Ovarian cancer is the fourth leading...
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Ovarian Cancer Treatments
10 August 2010 8:30 PM |
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The course of treatment for ovarian cancer is normally determined by the stage of the disease. We here classify the stages from I to IV based on the cancer’s specific characteristics, and find out which course is suitable for which stage. By stage I, we...
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Ovarian Cancer Stages
10 August 2010 8:30 PM |
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By the stage of a cancer we try to express how far the disease has spread. It is crucial, as treatment is mostly decided depending on the stage of a cancer. For ovarian cancer, doctors use a simple I-IV staging system called the FIGO (International...
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Ovarian Cancer Bracelets
10 August 2010 8:30 PM |
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Ovarian Cancer is a deadly disease and has a very high mortality rate. It is a disease, which affects the ovaries initially and then spreads to the pelvic area. Surgery and chemotherapy are the only treatments that work in the initial stages. Bracelets are accessories...
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Small Cell Lung Cancer
10 August 2010 8:30 PM |
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Between ten and twenty percent of all lung cancers are small cell lung cancers. They derive their name from the typical appearance of small, ‘oat’-like cancer cells under the microscope. This type of cancer is found almost exclusively in smokers or former smokers. Small cell...
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Ovarian Cancer Symptoms
10 August 2010 8:30 PM |
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The symptoms of ovarian cancer come into notice mostly when it grows for some time and the cancer mass becomes large enough. Some women, however, may feel some symptoms, like pelvic pain, even in the early stages. As the symptoms are vague and are often...
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Lung Cancer
10 August 2010 8:30 PM |
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Lung cancer is the most frequently lethal cancer in the United States. Among all causes of death, lung cancer ranks second after heart disease for males, and third after heart and cerebrovascular disease for females. In 2002 alone, over 150,000 people in the United States...
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Male Breast Cancer
10 August 2010 8:30 PM |
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Most people believe that breast cancer only affects women; this is because most men are not aware that they are also at risk of getting the disease. Given this, men need to be aware of the symptoms and the ways they can handle the disease....