Ovarian Cancer
Ovarian cancer is a type of cancer that forms in the tissues of the ovary in women. It takes place when cells located near the ovaries mutate and change their DNA to the point where cancer cells are able to increase and form a tumor. There are three types of ovarian cancer where doctors use a range of one to four stages that depict how much the cancer has spread. It is shown that the average woman's risk of getting ovarian cancer is around 1 in 78, as ovarian cancer usually develops in older women.
Although the cause of ovarian cancer is not quite certain, there have been certain theories that could explain why women get ovarian cancer. One theory is that pregnancy and taking birth control pills can lower the chances of getting ovarian cancer, meaning that a woman’s ovulation can actually cause the formation of cancer cells. Another theory is that cancer-causing substances could enter the body and pass through other body parts to reach the ovaries, causing the cancer cells to form into a tumor. As for the symptoms people usually face when they contract ovarian cancer, noticeable symptoms may not even appear when it first develops. When ovarian cancer really starts to seriously grow, it can lead to certain signs such as bloating, abdominal discomfort, and overall changes in bowel habits.
In order to treat ovarian cancer, patients would usually have to go for surgery, chemotherapy, radiation. However, even though these options can work by stopping and preventing the growth of ovarian cancer, only 20% of women with a higher stage of ovarian cancer can survive beyond 12 years after treatment. This number is very low considering the fact that 72.4% of women with ovarian cancer can only live for at least a year after diagnosis. New treatments for ovarian cancer are still on the way, as doctors are trying to find new types of solutions that can help their ovarian cancer patients.
To conclude, while ovarian cancer is a serious problem in many women’s lives, getting the right treatment to stop and prevent it from spreading can help women get the chance to live for a longer period of time. As new technologies and treatments for patients with ovarian cancer arise with higher survival rates, the day that an absolute cure for ovarian cancer is still bound to come.
Sources
https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/ovarian-cancer/symptoms-causes/syc-20375941
https://www.cancer.org/cancer/ovarian-cancer/detection-diagnosis-staging/staging.html
https://www.cancer.org/cancer/ovarian-cancer/causes-risks-prevention/what-causes.html
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/26787282/
https://www.cancer.org/cancer/ovarian-cancer/about/key-statistics.html
https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/-/media/images/health/1_-conditions/gynecological-conditions/ovarian-cancer-teaser.jpg
