2023-05-08 14:24:59
It represents approximately 3% of tumors in women and is the fifth leading cause of death from cancer in the female population in Spain after cancer of the breast, lung, colon and pancreas, according to the latest data from the National Statistics Institute (INE) of 2021. We are talking about ovarian cancer, of which it is estimated that in 2023 some 3,600 new cases in all Spain.
In any cancer, time is money. If detected early, the chances of survival. The problem with ovarian cancer is the difficulty in diagnosing it early, since in its initial stages it is no symptoms or very mild, go unnoticed and are confused with benign processes. In fact, most patients (70-80%) are diagnosed at an advanced stage of the disease.
It is more common in postmenopausal women, with a peak incidence between 50 and 75 years. In addition to age, other risk factors include a family history of breast, ovarian, colon, or endometrial tumors; personal history of breast cancer, BRCA1 or BRCA2 gene mutation, or no pregnancy. General risk factors for cancer also have an influence, such as alcohol and tobacco consumption, or those linked to an unhealthy lifestyle (obesity, sedentary lifestyle).
From the Section of Oncological Gynecology and Breast Pathology of the Spanish Society of Gynecology and Obstetrics (BLESSING) recommend go to the gynecologist as soon as possible if any of these symptoms occur.
Fluid often accumulates in the abdomen, causing what is called ascites, which can be very important, and cause distension of the abdominal cavity. Fluid can also accumulate in the pleura around the lungs, causing shortness of breath or feeling short of breath. On the other hand, the growth of an ovarian mass in the pelvis can affect neighboring structures, mainly the bladder and rectum, causing symptoms such as frequent diuresis, diarrhea or constipation, and abdominal or pelvic pain.
Despite the difficulty of currently having a technique or method for early detection of ovarian cancer and its identification in its early stages, where notable advances have been made is in the treatment of this tumor, both in the use of new less invasive and more precise surgical techniques, as well as in the identification and application of new therapeutic targets and personalized therapies for patients. Thus, the net survival rate in this type of tumor has grown in recent years, and now stands at 41%, although it is higher in women under 74 years of age, according to data from the Spanish Network of Registries of the Cancer (REDECAN).
News in therapies
The SEGO considers it very important that patients with ovarian cancer receive treatment in reference health centers with experience in this type of tumor, as well as the relevance of applying methods and procedures of adequate and complete surgery in their initial surgical treatment to improve survival. and quality of life of the affected women.
As regards therapies, the most notable advances have been in high-grade serous epithelial tumors, which are the most frequent subtype. Up to 50% of these ovarian tumors present alterations in the genes related to DNA repair through the homologous recombination mechanism, of which 15-20% are due to mutations in the BRCA1 or BRCA2 genes. This is allowing progress in the treatment of women with these mutations. PARP protein inhibitors (olaparib, niraparib, and rucaparib) have been some of the drugs that have caused a change in the paradigm of ovarian cancer treatment with these alterations. Likewise, in relapsed tumors, its use as maintenance after response to platinum-based chemotherapy has allowed delay progression and increase survival overall of the patients.
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