Stage 1 Ovarian Cancer

Ovarian cancer is one of the more problematic forms of this disease. It is problematic because, if diagnosed early enough the survival rate is amongst the highest of all the cancers; around 90%, However because the symptoms are so obtuse, and there is little or no screening processes available for ovarian cancer, then the disease invariably goes untraced till the disease has begun to spread outwith the ovaries and into the abdomen.

If the spread of cancer has been restricted to the ovaries only, this is diagnosed as stage one ovarian cancer. The treatment for stage one ovarian cancer can be fairly straightforward and in certain cases, may not even require chemotherapy.

If a women has developed symptoms that may indicate she has ovarian cancer, the treating doctor will send her for a CA125 test to try and confirm that the cancer exists before any form of surgery.

A protein secreted within ovarian cancer cells, CA-125 displays itself in over 80% of patients who have been diagnosed as suffering from ovarian cancer. Oncologists will usually prescribe a blood test if there are strong fears that the patient is suffering from ovarian cancer. Only if the test shows that there is a strong possibility that there are cancerous cells present, will the treating doctor recommend a form of exploratory surgery.

The procedure, known as laparotomy generally is most frequently used to reach a definite diagnosis of ovarian cancer and how far it has advanced.

During the surgical procedure, the surgeon makes a vertical, midline incision from the pubic bone to the navel. This is done to ensure a clear and precise evaluation of the patient's entire abdominal area and allows the surgeon to assess the state of the fluid and cells in the abdominal cavity.

Any cysts discovered will be removed, and be sent to the laboratory in order to undergo a biopsy.

Depending on the advancement of the cancer it will be categorized according to stages

The least advanced stage of ovarian cancer is described as stage one. This is where the cancer has been confined to the ovaries only.

In stage one there are also certain sub stages, running as follows:

Stage 1a The cancer is contained inside one ovary
Stage 1b The cancer has spread to both ovaries
Stage 1c the cancer is contained to one ovary and there is some evidence of cancerous cells appearing on the ovary's surface.
Stage 1d the cancer is contained to one ovary and there is some evidence of cancerous cells found in the abdominal fluids.
Stage 1e the cancer is contained to one ovary and the ovary ruptures either before or during surgery.

If the patient is after menopause then the surgeon will recommend surgery, which will be a total hysterectomy as well as remove any tissues that may be cancerous.

If the patient is still of child bearing age, and wants to have more children, if the cancer has only been discovered in one of the ovaries, then the surgeon will do their utmost to preserve one of the ovaries and fallopian tube.

If the cancer has been diagnosed as stage 1a or 1b, then there may not be a necessity for chemotherapy. In any event, the statistics are encouraging for the chances of survival from stage I cancer, with more than 90% of women who underwent surgical procedures for stage cancer shown to be around five years later.

Cancer

Stage 3 Ovarian Cancer