Health & Wellness: Let's Talk (Loudly) About Ovarian Cancer

The Silent Killer Ranks Fifth as Cause of Cancer Death in Women

by Benedict B. Benigno M.D.

June 1, 2007

Ovarian cancer symptoms: Persistent and unexplained gastrointestinal complaints, such as gas, nausea or indigestion Pelvic and/or abdominal swelling and/or pain; feeling of fullness or bloating Unexplained change in bowel habits Unexplained weight gain or loss Frequency and/or urgency of urination New unexplained abnormal postmenopausal bleeding Risk factors: Increasing age: highest occurrence in women more than 50 years old. Family/personal history of ovarian, breast, endometrial or colon cancer (10 percent of cases) Uninterrupted ovulation, i.e., no pregnancies or infertility Presence of BRCA1 Or BRCA2 gene mutations

But if you were to ask a group of women what the color for ovarian cancer is, you’d likely be met with blank stares. (It’s teal, by the way.) Why? Because the disease is just not discussed as much, even though it ranks as the fifth cause of cancer death in women. It’s all in the numbers. Breast cancer has received international attention over the last couple of decades due to the frighteningly high number of cases per year. Nearly 184,000 Americans will be diagnosed this year with breast cancer and almost 42,000 will lose their lives to the disease.


Comparatively, only about 80,000 cases of ovarian cancer will be diagnosed this year, but nearly half will die — a staggering statistic. And only 25 percent of cases are diagnosed early, before the cancer has spread to the pelvic region. While there’s not yet an early detection test or cure for ovarian cancer, researchers are getting closer to a reliable diagnostic test. And, yes, there are symptoms. A common fallacy is that a pap smear tests for cervical and ovarian cancer. It does check for cervical cancer. But to date, there is no reliable test that can detect ovarian cancer. That’s why this disease is known as the silent killer. Typically, by the time it’s discovered, the cancer is in advanced stages.


Unfortunately, ovarian cancer possesses many of the same symptoms as other ailments, so it can mask itself as other illnesses. Although the symptoms are vague, they should not be ignored. And there are risk factors, too. In the meantime, I recommend annual gynecological examinations and dialogue with your doctor. Further tests can be performed if irregularities are detected. These include the CA-125 blood test and transvaginal sonogram. As with all cancers, awareness is critical. So let’s talk more about ovarian cancer, and strip the disease of its reputation as the silent killer.


Dr. Benedict B. Benigno is CEO and founder of the Ovarian Cancer Institute and head of the Southeastern Gynecologic Oncology Group (SEGO), one of the largest ovarian cancer surgery groups in the country. For more information on the Ovarian Cancer Institute, visit www. ovariancancerinstitute.org or call 404.385.7015.