This is the cancer that originates in the tissues of the ovary, the female reproductive gland in in which eggs or ova are formed. In United States, 21,880 new cases of ovarian cancer occurred in 2010 that caused 13,850 deaths. This cancer is the fifth major cause of death from cancer in women.
Signs and Symptoms
At early stage, it causes a distention in the abdomen. It has not-specific symptoms such as abdominal pain and discomfort, an abdominal mass, backache, bloating in tummy, constipation, urinary urgency, tiredness. More specific symptoms are:
Ovarian cancer has many types. Two common cancers are:
Ovarian epithelial carcinoma
It is also known as surface epithelial-stromal tumor and is the most common type of ovarian cancer. It is ,treated through chemotherapy that includes intravenous (IV) and intraperitoneal (IP) administration. US Cancer Institute has recommended these methods for this cancer management. Chemotherapeutic agents that are more preferred include a platinum drug with a taxane; since, it is more effective than others. Surface epithelial-stromal tumor is subdivided into these classes:
Ovarian germ cell tumor
Among all ovarian cancers, germ cell tumors occur in 30 % of the cases. Most of them are benign and usually affect young girls and women. This cancer is formed insides the gonads (ovary and testis). Those tumors that form outside can be birth defects that are nothing but a result of deformity or a problem during embryo development. This is further divided into two broad categories:
Signs and Symptoms
At early stage, it causes a distention in the abdomen. It has not-specific symptoms such as abdominal pain and discomfort, an abdominal mass, backache, bloating in tummy, constipation, urinary urgency, tiredness. More specific symptoms are:
- Pelvic pain
- Weight loss
- Abnormal vaginal bleeding
- Fluid accumulation, such as ascites in abdominal cavity
Ovarian cancer has many types. Two common cancers are:
- Ovarian epithelial carcinoma
- Germ cell tumor
Ovarian epithelial carcinoma
It is also known as surface epithelial-stromal tumor and is the most common type of ovarian cancer. It is ,treated through chemotherapy that includes intravenous (IV) and intraperitoneal (IP) administration. US Cancer Institute has recommended these methods for this cancer management. Chemotherapeutic agents that are more preferred include a platinum drug with a taxane; since, it is more effective than others. Surface epithelial-stromal tumor is subdivided into these classes:
- Serous tumor
- Mucinous tumor
- Endometrioid tumor
- Clear cell tumor
- Brenner tumor
Ovarian germ cell tumor
Among all ovarian cancers, germ cell tumors occur in 30 % of the cases. Most of them are benign and usually affect young girls and women. This cancer is formed insides the gonads (ovary and testis). Those tumors that form outside can be birth defects that are nothing but a result of deformity or a problem during embryo development. This is further divided into two broad categories:
- Germinomatous
- Nongerminomatous
