Ovarian cancer

• Symptoms
• Risk factors
• Diagnosis
• Investigations
• Genetic research
• Treatment
• Effects

Ovarian cancer is the fourth most common type of cancer occurring in women, with about 7,000 new cases being diagnosed in the UK each year.

The number of women suffering from the disease has risen by 19 per cent over the last 20 years. Most ovarian cancer develops after the menopause with half of ovarian cancers being found in women over the age of 65.

One of the most worrying aspects of this type of cancer is that only 24 per cent of cases are diagnosed at an early stage, while the disease is confined to the ovary. When cases are diagnosed after the cancer has spread to other parts of the body it is much harder to treat successfully and so is more likely to be fatal.

The ovaries are the part of the female reproductive organs that produce egg cells every month during a young woman's reproductive cycle. The ovaries are about 1.5 inches long, but after going through menopause they shrink down to about half their original size. They are located on either side of the lower abdomen.

In young, relatively thin women, the ovaries can just barely be felt on a pelvic examination. Because they shrink in size after a woman stops having her periods, a normal ovary cannot be felt in post-menopausal woman.

Women who are still having periods can develop cysts on the ovary, which can be felt on a pelvic examination or seen via X-rays or other tests. They are rarely cancerous, particularly in younger women. Cysts are less common in women who have already gone through the menopause, and when they do occur they are more likely to be cancerous. A cyst or an enlarged ovary in a woman who has gone through the menopause should always be evaluated quickly to make sure that it is not a cancer.

With ovarian cancer, cells of the ovary grow and divide uncontrollably. The cells may grow to form a tumour on the ovary, and can break off from the main tumour and spread to other parts of the body. Although ovarian cancer can spread throughout the entire body, in most cases it stays in the abdomen and affects organs such as the intestines, liver and stomach.