Usually, most cases of ovarian cancer do not get detected or diagnosed until the disease has grown into an advanced stage. This is because the symptoms of ovarian cancer are not evident in the early stages.
Most women tend to experience significant symptoms only when cancer has advanced and spread beyond the ovaries. It is safer for women who have a family history of ovarian cancer or are considered to be at high-risk due to any genetic risk factor to see a doctor: screenings, tests and other monitoring devices to rule out the possibility of malignancies. Routine visits to the gynecologist, annual pelvic exams, ultrasound, and CA-125 (blood test) are also recommended to monitor for early signs or the screening of ovarian cancer.
What are the most common signs and symptoms of ovarian cancer?
- More than 75% of patients present to the clinic when the disease has spread throughout the abdominal cavity. The common symptoms also include abdominal discomfort, pain, or abdominal distension. These symptoms are due to the presence of mass or fluid in the abdominal cavity. Furthermore, a patient may experience intestinal symptoms like nausea, constipation, and early satiety.
Other symptoms that can be occasional
- Pleural effusion (accumulation of fluid in lung spaces)
- Bowel or intestinal obstruction
- Fatigue
- Unexplained weight loss
- Urinary urgency or frequency
- Difficulty eating
Symptoms associated with the possibility of granulosa cell tumors
Granulosa cell tumors are a scarce kind of ovarian cancer. It is consequently crucial to be aware of these symptoms. Granulosa cell tumors come from the stromal cell group, and the following symptoms can be indicative of the presence of such tumors:
In prepubescent girls
- Early-onset of puberty
- Acute abdominal pain
In premenopausal women
- Increased abdominal girth
- Irregularities in the menstrual cycle
- Enlarged abdominal mass
- Abdominal pain.
In postmenopausal women
- Breast tenderness
- Abnormal vaginal discharge
- Abnormal uterine bleeding
- Acute abdominal pain
