Ovarian Cancer: Symptoms, Causes, Treatment
سرطان المبيض
Ovarian cancer includes tumors with different types, stages and treatments. Persistent bloating, early fullness or pelvic pain warrants assessment, particularly when new or recurrent, although these symptoms alone do not establish cancer.
What is Ovarian Cancer?
Most cases are epithelial tumors, considered alongside related fallopian-tube and peritoneal cancers. Germ-cell and stromal tumors follow different treatment pathways. The label ovarian cancer alone cannot determine medication or an individual prognosis.
Related reading: When should I consider genetic testing for hereditary breast and ovarian cancer?.
Symptoms
Symptoms may include bloating, increasing abdominal size, early fullness, abdominal or pelvic discomfort, urinary urgency, bowel changes or weight loss. Benign causes are possible, but persistent or recurrent symptoms deserve examination rather than an automatic irritable-bowel diagnosis.
Causes
Changes in cell DNA allow uncontrolled growth. Most cases are not explained by a known inherited variant, but BRCA variants and Lynch syndrome can increase risk and influence family assessment and treatment choices.
Risk factors
Increasing age, certain inherited variants and family history raise risk; reproductive and hormonal factors influence some types. A risk factor is not a diagnosis, and cancer can occur without an affected relative.
Diagnosis
Assessment considers examination, family history and ultrasound, sometimes with CA125 and other tests. CA125 alone cannot diagnose cancer, and a normal result cannot exclude it. Tissue analysis establishes tumor type; imaging helps assess its extent.
Treatment
A gynecologic oncology team plans care according to tumor type, stage and overall health. Options include surgery and chemotherapy, with targeted or hormone treatments for selected tumors. PARP inhibitors are not suitable for everyone; molecular findings, response and previous treatment matter. Discuss fertility before treatment when feasible.
Complications
Complications may include abdominal fluid, bowel obstruction or blood clots. Treatment can affect fertility, immunity and energy. Follow-up addresses symptoms, adverse effects and recurrence, with supportive care available throughout treatment.
Prevention
Prevention cannot be guaranteed. CA125 and ultrasound are not routine population screening tests for asymptomatic women at average risk. Significant hereditary risk warrants counselling about testing, risk-reduction options and their consequences.
When to see a doctor
Seek medical assessment for persistent new symptoms or unusual bleeding. Sudden severe pain, or repeated vomiting with distension and inability to pass gas, requires urgent assessment. Sudden breathlessness or chest pain is an emergency.