According to the European Institute of Oncology, they are diagnosed every year in Europe 65 thousand almost of ovarian cancer, of which almost 5,000 in Italy. In the face of a relatively low incidence, ovarian cancer is characterized by a high mortality rate: only 43% of women survivefive years after the diagnosis, according to data collected by the AIRC Foundation for Cancer Research.
Ovarian cancer, the 9 symptoms
“Ovarian cancer is often not diagnosed until it reaches an advanced stage, due to its ‘mild’ symptoms, which are often confused with those caused by common or less serious health problems,” Dr. Francesca Jackson-Spence of the Barts Cancer Institute in London. For these reasons, ovarian cancer is often labeled by the community as “silent killer“.
If diagnosed early, 9 out of 10 women typically survive. According to the UK’s National Health Service, abdominal bloating is a common warning sign of the disease.
But there are also a number of other warning signs that, if heeded, can warn women earlier, speeding up diagnosis and therefore increasing the chances of survival.
Dr. Jackson-Spence identified nine: bloating, feeling full quickly, loss of appetite, pain in the abdomen, frequent need to urinate, abnormal vaginal bleeding, constant tiredness, unexplained weight loss, changes in intestinal metabolism.
“Unlike cervical and breast cancer, there are no effective screening tests for ovarian cancer,” Jackson-Spence explains, “so it’s important that all symptoms are checked thoroughly. Your doctor may order a blood test or an ultrasound.”
Ovarian cancer: the causes and the most affected groups
According to Jackson-Spence “there is no precise cause of ovarian cancer”, but there are “certain factors” that can increase the risk of developing the disease.
First of all, the advancing age: women over 65 run a greater risk of developing ovarian cancer (more than 50% of cases affect this age group). Biological heredity is also another risk factor: “It is believed that about 5-10 percent of ovarian cancer cases are hereditary,” says the expert, adding that women who start having the disease are also more at risk. period at an early age or entering menopause later than average.