Ovarian Cancer

Most women with ovarian cancer have vague symptoms. These signs often are like less serious conditions including indigestion, weight gain or aging. Symptoms of ovarian cancer vary from woman to woman, but they may include:

1. General abdominal discomfort or pain (gas, indigestion, pressure, swelling, bloating, cramps)
2. Bloating and/or a feeling of fullness, even after a light meal
3. Nausea, diarrhea, constipation or frequent urination
4. Unexplained weight loss or gain
5. Loss of appetite
6. Abnormal vaginal bleeding
7. Unusual fatigue
8. Back pain
9. Pain during sex
10. Menstrual changes

These symptoms do not always mean you have ovarian cancer, but it’s a good idea to discuss them with your health care provider if they:

1. Are new symptoms
2. Last more than a few weeks
3. Occur more than 12 times a month

Ovarian Cancer Diagnosis:
At Basil Onco care, our experts use the most advanced and accurate equipment available to diagnose ovarian cancer and determine with pinpoint accuracy if and where it has spread. They have extensive experience with all types of ovarian cancer, including rare ovarian cancers. The chances for successful treatment of ovarian cancer are much higher if the cancer is caught early and diagnosed accurately. If ovarian cancer is diagnosed in the early stages, the chances for successful treatment are high.

Ovarian Cancer Diagnostic Tests:
If you have symptoms that may signal ovarian cancer, your doctor will examine you and ask you questions about your health and family medical history. One or more of the following tests may be used to find out if you have ovarian cancer and if it has spread. These tests also may be used to find out if treatment is working.

Pelvic exam:
The doctor inserts one or two gloved fingers into the vagina and presses on the lower abdomen with the other hand. Usually the doctor puts a finger in the vagina and rectum at the same time to feel deeper in the pelvis. A pelvic exam helps find out if there is a mass on either side of the uterus. This may be a sign of ovarian cancer.

CA-125 blood test:
This blood test measures the level in your body of CA-125, a protein that is made by ovarian cancer cells. CA-125 is known as a tumor marker because its levels usually are higher in women with ovarian cancer. Testing CA-125 levels is most reliable when it is used to find cancer that has come back after treatment. Doctors look at how the levels of CA-125 have changed over time.

Measuring CA-125 levels also can be used:

1. To see if treatment is working
2. Predict if a treatment might be effective for ovarian and some other types of cancer

The CA-125 test alone cannot find ovarian cancer. A high level of CA-125 does not always mean you have ovarian cancer. Other conditions may raise the level of CA-125. Low levels of CA-125 do not mean you are cancer-free. Some types of ovarian cancer produce only low levels of CA-125 or none at all.

Biopsy :
The only way to find out for certain if a growth is ovarian cancer is for the doctor to remove cells from it and look at them under a microscope (biopsy). Tissue can be removed by:

1. Surgery
2. Laparoscopy
3. Fine needle aspiration (FNA)

Imaging tests, which may include:

1. CT or CAT (computed axial tomography) scans
2. MRI (magnetic resonance imaging) scans
3. PET (positron emission tomography) scans
4. Chest X-rays
5. Transvaginal ultrasound: A wand-shaped scanner is put into the vagina. It has a small ultrasound device on the end.

Genetic Testing:
If you are at high risk for ovarian cancer because of personal or family history, your doctor may ask you to have more tests, including some that give information about your genes. These tests may help you make important decisions about cancer prevention for yourself and your children. There are benefits and risks with genetic testing, which you should discuss with your doctor. Blood tests can find out if you have a BRCA1 or BRCA2 gene, which can cause ovarian cancer as well as breast cancer. Others test for genes that play a part in Lynch syndrome, an inherited colon cancer syndrome.

Ovarian Cancer Treatment:
When you're treated at Basil Onco care for ovarian cancer, a team of some of the nation’s foremost experts customizes your care. This team of specialists communications and collaborates at every step. They customize your treatment to be sure you receive the highest chance for successful treatment with the least impact on your body.
Our physicians have extensive experience in treating every type of ovarian cancer, including rare ovarian cancers. We offer the latest, most-advanced therapies, including surgery, chemotherapy, hormonal therapies and targeted therapies.
Surgery usually is the first step in treating ovarian cancer. It is crucial that your surgeon be experienced in this delicate procedure. Studies have shown that patients with ovarian cancer have better outcomes and better chances for survival when the largest amount possible of the tumor is removed.

Ovarian Cancer Treatments:

If you are diagnosed with ovarian cancer, your doctor will discuss the best options to treat it. This depends on several factors, including:

1. The stage of the cancer
2. The size of the tumor after surgery (debulking)
3. Your desire to have children
4. Your age and overall health

One or more of the following therapies may be recommended to treat ovarian cancer or help relieve symptoms.

Surgery:
Surgery is the main treatment for ovarian cancer. Often, surgery is done to remove or biopsy a mass to find out if it is cancer. Once cancer is confirmed, the surgeon stages the cancer based on how far it has spread from the ovaries. If the disease seems to be limited to one or both ovaries, the surgeon will biopsy the pelvis and abdomen to find out if the cancer has spread.

Debulking:
If it is obvious during the surgery that ovarian cancer has spread, the surgeon will remove as much of the tumor as possible. This may help other treatments work better.
The ovaries, uterus, cervix, Fallopian tubes and omentum (fatty tissue around these organs), and any other visible tumors in the pelvic and abdominal areas may be removed during debulking. The spleen, lymph nodes, liver or intestines also may be removed partially or completely. Sometimes debulking is not possible because the patient is not healthy enough or the tumor may be attached to other organs. In these cases, any tumor left will be treated with chemotherapy.

Chemotherapy:
You may need chemotherapy after surgery to destroy ovarian cancer cells that are still in the body.
Intraperitoneal therapy (IP therapy) is a way to give chemotherapy drugs. It may be used if a small amount of tumor is left after debulking. Sometimes IP chemotherapy works better than regular chemotherapy. In IP treatment, concentrated chemotherapy is put into the abdominal cavity through a catheter (tiny tube) or implanted port. This allows it to come into contact with the cancer and the area of the body where the cancer is likely to spread. The drugs also get into the blood and travel through the body.

Targeted Therapies:
BASIL is among just a few cancer centers in the nation that are able to offer targeted therapies for some types of ovarian cancer. These new drugs stop the growth of cancer cells by interfering with certain proteins and receptors or blood vessels that supply the tumor with what it needs to grow.