Ovarian Cancer August 7, 2019 – Posted in: Gynaecology, Oncology

In India at present we see about 32000 cases a year with about 23,000 deaths per year. This translates to a mortality (or a “kill rate” of over 70%), making it the most lethal gynaecological malignancy.

A cancer that is so aggressive and lethal, obviously requires treatment which itself is intense and radical.

Moreover, ovarian cancer is often called a “silent killer”. This is because, it is invariably diagnosed in the later stages.

The reason being, the ovaries are normally 2 small organs, each measuring 2x3x3 cms in the pelvis. The abdomen and pelvis is a very large area as compared to the size of the ovaries. Therefore if the ovary becomes cancerous, unless it grows to a large size or unless the disease spreads inside the abdomen, patients do not get any specific symptoms. In the early stages, patients usually complain of bloating, acidity, nausea, vague fullness, belching, feeling full early and such vague symptoms which are almost always present in a large number of women above the age of 50years. Therefore primary care givers are often take these symptoms lightly and treat with diet and lifestyle modifications, antacids etc.

In order to diagnose ovarian cancer early, the physician needs to be aware that ovarian cancer can happen and he/she needs to have a “high index of suspicion”.