WHITEWOOD, Sask. – Ovarian cancer is deadly, but Saskatchewan Women’s Institute members attending their annual meeting in Whitewood earlier this month had hardly heard of it.
Public health nurse Carol Adair told the SWI members that the cancer kills 1,500 Canadian women a year and is the fifth leading cause of cancer death in women.
However, she said most women don’t know about the disease because it invades the body almost unnoticed. Symptoms are vague and women must be persistent in asking their doctors to check for it.
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Adair said there is “an alarmingly high rate of late detection,” with three-quarters of ovarian cancer cases not caught until in the late stages, which leads to a death rate unchanged since the 1950s.
Ovarian cancer typically is a disease of older women with symptoms that include bloating of the abdomen, frequent gas, nausea, a change in bowel habits and fatigue. While these could occur for many more benign reasons, Adair said women should consult a doctor with their suspicions if the symptoms last longer than three weeks.
Adair dispelled myths, saying a Pap smear provides no warning because it detects only cancer in the cervix, not of the ovaries. Most women assume the test will pick up any gynecological cancer.
She also said a hysterectomy in which the ovaries are left can also leave a woman subject to ovarian cancer, even if the fallopian tubes and uterus are removed.
Three medical tests can detect ovarian cancer:
- A blood test, similar to the male equivalent test for prostate cancer, checks for the presence of a certain protein present when cancer is growing. However, it is only correct half the time.
- A doctor can perform a vaginal-rectal exam by hand to feel the ovaries.
- An ultrasound can be taken of the vagina, which is a more reliable test.
Adair said women can lessen their risk of ovarian cancer by reducing the times they ovulate, such as taking birth control pills, being pregnant, breast feeding or having a tubal ligation.
For more information, call the National Ovarian Cancer Association at 877-413-7970.
