Ovarian cancer
Mar 16, 2006 4:24 PM
Ovarian cancer is hard to spot - and as a result it is often advanced by the time diagnosis is made.
It is less common than lung or breast cancer, but on average, fewer than a third of patients are alive five years after they are first diagnosed, so the death toll is high.
However, if it is caught early, the
chances of cure are higher - and methods of screening women for early
signs of the disease are being evaluated.
One of the major problems with ovarian cancer is that it's insidious - it's a difficult tumour to diagnose - which is one of the reasons why the majority of patients are diagnosed at later stages rather than earlier stages
Professor Patrick Johnston, Queen's University Belfast
Women whose fertility is at risk from chemotherapy can now take the step of freezing eggs for future use in these circumstances.
In addition, the ovary is responsible for the production of key sex hormones, and the effect of surgery can be to prematurely bring on the menopause.
Professor Patrick Johnston, an expert in ovarian cancer based at Queen's University in Belfast, said: "It's a significant problem for the female population in the UK.
"One of the major problems with ovarian cancer is that it's insidious - it's a difficult tumour to diagnose - which is one of the reasons why the majority of patients are diagnosed at later stages rather than earlier stages."
