Are you aware of the fact that there are more than 30 kinds of ovarian cancer? These cancers are categorized in three groups based on the type of the cells. The three categories are as follows: epithelial tumor, germ cell tumors and sex cord-stromal cell tumors.
Many women fail to realize that there is suffering from ovarian cancer until the cancer reaches its final stage. The main reason is that it is difficult to determine on your own whether you are suffering from ovarian cancer or not. Some women may have undergone screening tests but such tests do not produce accurate results because of which sometimes the cancer can go undetected. The easiest way to find out that you are suffering from this type of cancer or not is to lookout for symptoms such as feeling of pressure or uneasiness in your abdomen or pelvic area, weariness, backache, bloating, abnormal bowel movement, frequent passing of urine, gastrointestinal issues, nausea, disinterest in having food, abnormal vaginal bleeding and so on.
When ovarian cancer is detected, depending on the stage of the cancer, the surgeon can suggest following kinds of treatment, surgery, chemotherapy and radiotherapy.
Surgery
The surgeon will perform surgery to remove the cancerous epithelial tissues that are proliferating quickly. This form of treatment can also be combined with other forms of treatment that are mentioned above. By doing surgery, the doctor will be able to remove the cancerous tumors so that the cancer does not spread to adjoining areas of the body. The idea is to completely remove residual tumor masses.
What the doctor will do is that he will make an incision in the abdomen area through laparoscopy. This technique allows the doctor to view the images of the surgical areas on a TV. He will cut a small piece of the tumor and perform tests to confirm ovarian cancer. Once the tests show the occurrence of ovarian cancer, he may do hysterectomy (full or partial removal of the uterus), or bilateral salpingoophorectomy (removal of an ovary and its uterine tube), or omentectomy (removal of omentum), or lymphadenectomy (removal of lymph nodes)
Chemotherapy
This treatment involves eliminating the cancer by administering drugs. The drugs are very effective and produce good results but it can also affect the normal cells of our body and cause problems like anemia, temporary hair loss, etc. Doctors may even prescribe other drugs that can help in lowering such side effects. One can receive chemotherapy intravenously, intraperitonally, orally and intramuscularly. The period of the treatment can vary depending on the stage of the cancer.
Radiotherapy
Radiotherapy involves using ionizing radiation to exterminate cancer causing cells. This treatment can be done through radiotherapy devices or by using an injection.
Even when the treatment shows positive results, the patients will be required to visit the doctor for follow-up. Even after the cancerous cells are successfully removed, the cancer can reoccur within a time period to two to twenty years. Hence, patients must visit the doctor regularly.
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Tags: Abdomen, Abnormal Vaginal Bleeding, Accurate Results, Bowel Movement, Cancerous Tumors, Chemotherapy, Disinterest, Epithelial Tissues, Germ Cell Tumors, Hysterectomy, Incision, Ovarian Cancer, Pelvic Area, Screening Tests, Sex Cord, Stromal Cell, Surgical Areas, Tumor Masses, Type Of Cancer, Weariness