Ovarian Cancer Prognosis

Ovarian cancer prognosis predicts the possible course or progression of the disease. The current, worldwide accepted factors of prognosis are 'stage' and overall volume of the cancer (in advanced stages). Other debated factors include DNA ploidy and histopathalogic grade.

It is important to understand your prognosis by asking your doctor. The possible outcome predicted will be determined by how far advanced the cancer is when it was first discovered, or the stage.

The ovarian cancer prognosis for Stage I is hard to determine as so few cases have been studied because most have not yet been diagnosed. It is thought that the possible survival rate is high with Stage IA and IB tumors, with most still being alive in 5 years. However, overall health, tumor type and tumor age may lower this.

For Stage II, the ovarian cancer prognosis is that possibly a minimum of 60% of patients will still be living after 5 years. Again, however, this may be reduced due to other health issues, tumor type and tumor age.

The Stage III level prognosis is generally that only 13% to 35% of patients will still be living after 5 years. This varies again greatly, but is greatly dependant on the spread of the cancer into the upper region of the abdomen.

The ovarian cancer prognosis for Stage IV is very poor and varied. At this point it is not about whether the cancer has spread or not, but what bodily areas and organs it has spread to and the overall affects it has on those infected parts. The survival rate drops dramatically at this stage, with only 5% of patients expected to survive 5 more years. In fact, a patient is considered to be doing very well if they survive another 2 years.

Other important ovarian cancer prognosis factors include the grade of the tumor and your ability to take care of yourself. Firstly the grade or type of tumor is determined by comparing tumor cell and normal cell samples to each other. Cancer cells are defined by their size and inside appearance. These are then graded from I to III, I being more like a normal cell and III being very different from a normal cell. Higher grades mean faster growing tumors. Lower grades mean that a tumor is growing slowly or not growing at all.

Your PS or performance status score is vital in determining a patient's ability to take care of themselves. A lower score means self-sufficiency, but a higher score means that the patient may need a little to a lot of assistance. So, the better the score is, the better the chances of dealing with cancer treatments and surviving.

The ovarian cancer prognosis is not an exact science, so it is just a logical estimate. Each person, tumor, pain threshold, ability to fight disease, will to survive, and need are very different. No patient is alike, anymore than any cancer. However, whatever the prognosis, it is important to use all means necessary to fight the cancer, the pain and the fear, and not to discount alternative/holistic methods and treatments because a doctor's view of it may be negative. Always get second opinions because there are many doctors who are recognizing the importance of keeping the body as detoxified as possible, so as to allow the body to fight real enemy, the cancer. At the end of the day it is also very important to get all the facts first before deciding on your treatments.

Cancer

Clomid Ovarian Cancer