2024-08-22 12:56:39
Ovarian cancer is one of the most difficult types of cancer to detect in women. A new study has determined which signs can appear early on.
Detecting cancer early can save lives. However, many cancers initially have no symptoms, which is why they sometimes go unnoticed. With ovarian cancer, too, the body usually sends signals late – and so it is often only discovered when it is already advanced and difficult to treat. This type of cancer is the second most common malignant disease of the female reproductive organs.
According to the Robert Koch Institute, around 7,200 women in Germany develop ovarian cancer every year.
New study: Researchers find four cancer warning signs
A new study British researchers now provide evidence that the cancer can be detected based on certain symptoms even in early stages. Symptom-based tests and examinations can therefore help to detect ovarian cancer. Specifically, the scientists examined women who showed the following four symptoms:
Important
These symptoms can also indicate harmless illnesses, but if they occur frequently or persist, it is advisable to consult your GP or gynecologist. This is especially true for women over 50 years of age.
Between June 2015 and July 2022, they recruited 2,596 women aged between 16 and 90 from 24 hospitals in the UK. Of these, 1,741 women had experienced at least one of the symptoms mentioned persistently or frequently and were referred to a gynecologist within two weeks. There, a blood test was first carried out to measure cancer antigen 125 (CA125). An elevated CA125 value then led to a vaginal ultrasound.
About 12 percent of women were actually diagnosed with some form of ovarian cancer after these tests. 6.8 percent of patients developed high-grade serous ovarian cancer, the most aggressive form of cancer, which accounts for 90 percent of ovarian cancer deaths. Of the women with the most aggressive form, one in four were diagnosed when the cancer was still in the early stages.
“Women and doctors need to be made aware of this,” the researchers concluded. A timely diagnosis is crucial for the chances of recovery, as the survival rate for early-detected cancer is 92 percent, while for advanced cancer it is only 31 percent.
Background
In the UK, this fast-track procedure has been standard for suspected ovarian cancer since 2011. Women with non-specific symptoms are examined by specialists within two weeks and, if necessary, receive further treatment – in hospital, without long waiting times for an appointment with a gynecologist.