Ovarian Cancer

What is Ovarian Cancer?

Ovarian cancer, the vast majority of which occurs in the post-menopausal period, improves by 80-90% in the early period with appropriate treatments, while this rate decreases to about 40-50% in the advanced period.

Tumors formed in the epithelial tissue are detected in 80 percent of people diagnosed with ovarian cancer after menopause, while tumors from the embryonic period are detected in 60 percent of people detected under the age of 20. Ovarian cancer is seen in oratalama 1.4 out of every 100 women throughout their lifetime.

What are the Diagnostic Methods of Ovarian Cancer?

There is no single diagnostic method for ovarian cancer. The disease can be diagnosed in many ways. In some patients, the diagnosis is made during research and surgeries performed for other reasons. Therefore, patients with the above-mentioned complaints should definitely be examined by an obstetrician. Suspicion of the presence of the disease is evaluated by pelvic (groin) ultrasonography performed after the examination.

The diagnosis of ovarian cancer is made after pathological examination of surgically removed tissues. Apart from ultrasonography, tomography and similar imaging methods are among the methods that help diagnosis. Dec. In addition, the investigation of some substances called tumor markers in the blood is also used as an auxiliary diagnostic method. As mentioned above, since ovarian cancers do not give signs at an early stage, an annual gynecological examination and pubic ultrasonography, especially after menopause, can provide an early diagnosis of the disease. In this context, postmenopausal controls are important. Because 75% of ovarian cancers are seen in the post-menopausal period.

What are the Treatment Methods of Ovarian Cancer?

The first treatment for ovarian cancer is surgical treatment. In other words, patients are treated with surgery first. The response of the disease to treatment is directly related to the adequacy of the first surgery. In the early stages of the disease, an operation called staging surgery is performed along with the removal of the tumor.

In its advanced stages, tumors in the abdominal cavity are removed by a comprehensive operation. It may also be possible to remove parts of the intestine if necessary during surgery. After surgery, all patients except very early stage patients are given drug treatment called chemotherapy. In other words, in an important part of the treatment of ovarian cancer, drug therapy is applied.

The response of the disease to treatment is directly related to the prevalence of the tumor. Early diseases improve by 80-90% with treatment, while the recovery rate for advanced diseases is around 40-50%. After surgery and chemotherapy, patients are checked with examinations and examinations every 4-5 months for many years. When the disease recurs, the treatments must also be repeated. Sometimes it may even be necessary to repeat the operations 2 to 4 times.