Early Ovarian Cancer Symptoms

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By Christie Leman
eHow Contributing Writer

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Ovarian cancer is one of the leading causes of cancer-related death among American women, making knowledge and detection of early symptoms extremely important to diagnosing and treating ovarian cancer. Until recently, doctors believed that there were no early ovarian cancer symptoms, leading to late diagnosis and a lower survival rate for ovarian cancer patients, but now there are several documented early ovarian cancer symptoms that women should be aware of to help prevent death from ovarian cancer.

Significance

Being aware of early ovarian cancer symptoms can greatly increase a woman's chance of receiving early treatment and surviving ovarian cancer. Ovarian cancer kills over 15,000 American women each year, making it the fifth leading cause of cancer death in women. By learning the early ovarian cancer symptoms and seeing a doctor right away if symptoms persist, women are more likely to receive treatment before the cancer has spread beyond the ovaries, increasing their chances of survival to 90 percent. Once ovarian cancer has spread beyond the ovaries, the chances of survival decrease dramatically.

Features

Early ovarian cancer symptoms include bloating, pelvic pain, feeling full, loss of appetite, and feeling the need to urinate frequently or suddenly. While these are the most common early ovarian cancer symptoms, other frequent symptoms include indigestion, diarrhea or constipation, unexplained weight loss or gain, pain during intercourse, abnormal vaginal bleeding, fatigue, and lower back pain.

Time Frame

While many of these early ovarian cancer symptoms are usually not indicative of ovarian cancer--if they are occurring daily for more than 2 weeks--a doctor should be consulted. Ovarian cancer can normally be diagnosed within 3 months of the start of the early ovarian cancer symptoms and can be treated right away, leading to a much higher survival rate than ovarian cancer diagnosed at later stages.

Most ovarian cancer cases occur in post-menopausal women, often over age 60. While all women should be mindful of early ovarian cancer symptoms, these women--and those with a family history of ovarian cancer--should be well-informed on ovarian cancer symptoms.

Considerations

Many early ovarian cancer symptoms are similar in manifestation to harmless bladder or digestive conditions, which may lead many women not to seek medical attention when these symptoms develop. Doctors recommend that all women see their doctors when these symptoms persist. While they may very well be the result of a bladder infection or other common ailment, they could also be early ovarian cancer symptoms. Either way, medical attention should be sought so that the correct path of treatment can be pursued.

Potential

Doctors and cancer experts believe that these newly released early ovarian cancer symptoms will help lead to much higher survival rates for ovarian cancer, currently the deadliest cancer of the reproductive system in women. Unlike other reproductive cancers, there have previously been no screening tests for ovarian cancer or even a comprehensive list of potential early ovarian cancer symptoms. With the new early ovarian cancer symptoms information, medical experts foresee a decrease in ovarian cancer-related deaths as more women receive early treatment for ovarian cancer.