MORE THAN A THIRD OF WOMEN WITH OVARIAN CANCER REPORT SYMPTOMS OF THE DISEASE AT LEAST FOUR MONTHS BEFORE DIAGNOSIS
UC Davis researchers find the “silent killer” often announces its presence
August 22, 2005
(SACRAMENTO, Calif.) — Ovarian cancer is often thought of as a silent killer, coming to the attention of physicians only at its late stages when prognosis is poor. But according to a new study by UC Davis researchers, four in 10 women with ovarian cancer have symptoms that they tell their doctors about at least four months — and as long as one year — before they are diagnosed. The study will be published in the
Oct. 1 issue of
Cancer, a peer-reviewed journal of the
American Cancer Society.
“Our findings suggest that ovarian cancer could be diagnosed earlier in some patients,” said
Lloyd Smith, professor and chair of obstetrics and gynecology at
UC Davis School of Medicine and
Medical Center and lead author of the study.
“The diagnosis is delayed in some patients because physicians order abdominal imaging or perform gastrointestinal procedures before they order a test more likely to diagnose ovarian cancer, such as pelvic imaging and/or CA-125 (a blood test that can detect ovarian cancer).”
Smith and his colleagues compared diagnosis codes and claims for diagnostic procedures for 1,985 elderly women with ovarian cancer, 6,024 elderly women with localized breast cancer, and 10,941 age-matched Medicare-enrolled women without cancer.
They found that patients with ovarian cancer were more likely than women in the other two groups to have seen their physicians for four symptoms: abdominal pain, abdominal swelling, gastrointestinal symptoms and pelvic pain. Overall, about 40 percent of women with ovarian cancer had physician claims indicating one or more visits for these symptoms four months or more before the cancer was diagnosed.
The UC Davis researchers also found that only 25 percent of the ovarian cancer patients who reported symptoms four or more months before diagnosis had diagnostic pelvic imaging or CA-125 blood tests. Most of the ovarian cancer patients who reported early symptoms received abdominal imaging or diagnostic gastrointestinal studies, which are less likely to detect ovarian cancer.
Within three months of their diagnosis, however, 54 percent of the ovarian cancer patients received pelvic imaging or CA-125 testing.
CA-125, short for cancer antigen-125, is a protein found at elevated levels in most ovarian cancer cells and released into the bloodstream. However, the CA-125 test returns a true positive result for only about half of early, Stage I ovarian cancers and therefore is not an adequate early detection tool when used alone.
For patients with later, Stage II, III or IV disease, the test has an 80-percent chance of returning true positive results. The remaining 20 percent of later-stage ovarian cancer patients do not show any increase in CA-125 concentrations.
http://www.ucdmc.ucdavis.edu/newsroom/releases/archives/cancer/2005/ovarian_smith8-2005.htmlWelcome to the Gilda Radner Familial Ovarian Cancer Registry, located at
Roswell Park Cancer Institute in Buffalo, New York. About Us:
We are an international registry of families with two or more relatives with ovarian cancer. In addition to ovarian cancer research, the Registry offers an 1-800-OVARIAN Hotline, Newsletter, and ovarian cancer informational pamphlets. Our Ovarian Hotline is answered by trained cancer information specialist.
The Gilda Radner Familial Ovarian Cancer Registry is pursuing research as to causes of familial ovarian cancer. Our goals are to identify new genes associated with familial ovarian cancer, thereby improving genetic and psychosocial counseling for individuals and families and to characterize lifestyle choices (i.e., oral contraceptive use, hormone replacement therapy, number of pregnancies) that reduce ovarian cancer risk in women who may be more susceptible to the disease. We hope to acquire information that will lead to better methods for detecting ovarian cancer, for reliable predictive testing for cancer predisposition and ultimately, preventing the disease in future generations. We are collecting family histories, medical records and tissue samples from ovarian cancer patients.
This website currently provides information and links on ovarian cancer in general, and familial ovarian cancer in particular. You can access the various resources available using the menu options on the left-hand side of this page.
We ask that you please assist us in our research efforts by
joining the Registry today.
The Registry is funded through research grants and donations from people like you who want to help us in our research project and educate women about the symptoms of ovarian cancer and the need for early detection.
4 New Books on Ovanian Cancer!AN OVARIAN CANCER COMPANION by Diane Sims Roth"Ovarian cancer: its mere mention is shrouded in fear and mystery....Draped in a cloak of anonymity, ovarian cancer is often called 'the disease that whispers.' Like a murmur in a darkened theatre, ovarian cancer in its infancy is almost undetectable." $17.95 (US) $19.95 (Canadian)
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Secure ordering available at this website:
http://www.gsph.com/OVARIAN CANCER: YOUR GUIDE TO TAKING CONTROL by Kristine Conner and Lauren Langford"Many of you are picking up this book because your (or someone you care about) have been told that you have ovarian cancer or that there's a good chance you have it. We wrote this book to give you something more than a pamphlet, brochure, or web site to turn to; we wanted you to have a full-length manual that offers somewhat more detailed coverage of the issues likely to be of concern to you." $29.95 (US) $44.95 (Canadian) Ordering information:O'Reilly1005 Gravenstein Hwy, NorthSebastopol, CA 95472-28141-800-998-9938707-829-0515
100 QUESTIONS & ANSWERS about OVARIAN CANCER by Don S. Dizon, M.D., Nadeen R. Abu-Rustum, M.D., and Andrea Gibbs Brown"Whether you're a newly diagnosed ovarian cancer patien, a survivor, or a friend or relative of either, this book offers help. The only test to provide the doctor's and patient's views, 100 Questions & Answers About Ovarian Cnacer gives you authoritative, practical answers to your questions about treatment options, post-treatment quality of life, sources of support, and much more. Written by a gynecologic oncologist, a gynecologic surgeon, and an ovarian cnacer survivor, this book is an invaluable resource for anyone coping with the physical and emotional turmoil of this frightening disease." $16.95 (US) Ordering Information:Jones and Bartlett Publishers40 Tall Pine DriveSudbury, MA 01776978-443-5000
Humor after the TumorBy Patty Gelman"Roswell Park patient and breast cancer survivor, Patty Gelman, invites you to join her in her year-long journey through "Cancer World" - a journey that NO ONE wants to take! From knowing that she was from a family at very high risk for breast cancer to her diagnosis, to treatment, and finally recovery, Patty shares her innermost fears, frustration, and joys through her e-mails to friends and family. Candidly and often with great humor, Patty recounts the enormous range of emotions that each of us has felt experiencing cancer ourselves or in a beloved family member. This book will help newly diagnosed women as well as spouses, children, and friends of patients." $16.00 (US) Ordering Information:Prometheus Books59 John Glenn DriveAmherst, NY 14228800-421-0351
www.prometeusbooks.comhttp://www.ovariancancer.com/default.asp#
Julia Jean McKague Manes 2/15/34 - 5/5/04 She fought ovarian cancer for 7 yrs before it finally claimed her life.
Sometimes my daddy amazes me...actually he often amazes me..but at times more so then normal!
