Because this Life was Meant to Live · Blogging About Ovarian Cancer

Ovarian cancer and the genetic link

February 20, 2010 in About Ovarian Cancer, Statistics | No comments

This is from a webpage called “Bewell.com”
Article written by Nancy L. Snyderman MD

One in 70 women in the United States will develop ovarian cancer in her lifetime. That means a woman in the general population without a family history of ovarian cancer has a 1.5% risk of getting it—usually later in life, says Beth Crawford, the clinical director of the UC San Francisco Cancer Risk Program. “Age 68 is the average age at diagnosis,” she says.

But if genetics are against you, the chances are much, much stronger—up to a 40% higher risk, notes Crawford. And, she adds, “You could develop it as much as 10 years sooner.”

How to know if genetics are against you? According to Crawford, there are some key factors to help you find out. If you know your risk, you can take steps to help reduce your chances of getting this deadly cancer, or catch it early when chances are much better of treating it in time. Here, Crawford answers the important questions.

Which genetic problems put you at higher risk for ovarian cancer?

A family history of ovarian cancer on either your father’s or your mother’s side boosts your risk, Crawford says, although many people mistakenly believe only their mother’s side matters. But ovarian cancer isn’t the only cancer link. Family history of breast, colorectal, melanoma, pancreatic and prostate cancer may genetically increase your risk. Look at a three-generation family history—aunts, cousins, parents and grandparents. Age of onset (below age 60 suggests a hereditary link) and type of cancer are key.

Why might other cancers increase my risk of ovarian cancer?

Genetic researchers have identified specific gene “markers” which, if they show up, greatly boost your chances of ovarian cancer. Mutations in two genes, BRCA1 and BRCA2, increase your risk of both ovarian and breast cancer. A hereditary colon cancer gene mutation, causing a type of colon cancer referred to as HNPCC (hereditary nonpolyposis colorectal cancer) also boosts risk.

How much higher is my risk of ovarian cancer if I have these mutations?

BRCA1 mutation increases your risk by 30 to 40%. For BRCA2, it’s a little lower—20 to 30%. The lifetime risk if you have the hereditary colon cancer gene mutation is about 10%.

How can I find out if I have high-risk gene “markers”?

Talk to your doctor about finding a genetic counselor in your area. A counselor can help determine hereditary patterns and can recommend appropriate testing. The counselor may suggest you get a CA-125 blood test. (CA-125 is a protein secreted into the blood; elevated levels may indicate cancer.)

This same test commonly given to the family member who develops breast or ovarian cancer. If a mutation is found, other family members can be tested for the same mutation. If a mutation isn’t found, no additional testing is recommended for that gene mutation. However, other tests may be recommended to look for different genetic mutations.

If I am high-risk, are there tests I should get to look for ovarian cancer, since it doesn’t tend to have noticeable symptoms?

If you are age 25 to 35 and still want children, talk to your gynecologist about getting a transvaginal ultrasound, Crawford suggests. The doctor inserts a small probe into the vagina to give off sound waves, creating a picture of the ovaries that can be examined for abnormalities. Used with the CA-125 test, it may find ovarian cancer earlier.

What if I’m high risk, over age 35 and don’t plan to have any more children?

When childbearing is done, it is possible to remove both your ovaries and your fallopian tubes. The operation is controversial, because it induces premature menopause in younger women. But some experts say it makes sense for high-risk women, reducing their risk of getting ovarian cancer by a 90% (and cuts breast cancer risk in half if you’re pre-menopausal). New studies also recommend that the ovaries be carefully examined for microscopic cancer cells at time of removal. Talk to your gynecologist to make sure she knows the latest protocol.

But if genetics are against you, the chances are much, much stronger—up to a 40% higher risk, notes Crawford. And, she adds, “You could develop it as much as 10 years sooner.”

Signals, syptoms and warning signs of possible ovarian cancer…..

February 20, 2010 in Signs and Symptoms | No comments

Heed Early Warning Signs of Ovarian Cancer
Women, Doctors Urged to Heed Early Signs of Ovarian Cancer

Article date: 2000/11/14
Women diagnosed with ovarian cancer, one of the most lethal women’s cancers, might have a better prognosis if they and their doctors were more familiar with its symptoms and if appropriate tests were done sooner. These study results were published in the Nov. 15 journal Cancer (Vol.89, No. 10: 2068-2075).

Ovarian cancer is difficult to diagnose early because its symptoms include indigestion and abdominal swelling, which are also signs of many conditions other than cancer.

To find out why diagnosis is often delayed and to help identify symptoms of ovarian cancer, Barbara A. Goff, MD, assistant professor of obstetrics and gynecology at the University of Washington in Seattle, and her team examined the results of surveys completed by 1,725 women in 46 states and four Canadian provinces.

Findings of the Study

Almost 90% of the women in the study who were diagnosed in early stages reported having one or more symptoms, such as abdominal pain, bloating, pelvic pain or back pain. Only 3% of women diagnosed with advanced ovarian cancer did not report any symptoms.

For just 55% of all the women surveyed was the correct diagnosis made within two months after symptoms appeared. It took three to six months for 19% of the women, and more than a year for 11%. The longer diagnosis took, the more advanced the cancer was.

In some cases, women with symptoms delayed their diagnosis by waiting an average of two to three months before reporting them to doctors, with 22% of the women surveyed saying they ignored their symptoms, most because they were unaware their symptoms could be due to cancer.

“Everyone has gas and indigestion from time to time, and perhaps some abdominal swelling or back pain or pelvic pain, but if these non-specific symptoms persist, they should be reported,” Goff says. She adds that doctors also need to consider ovarian cancer when diagnosing women with these symptoms.

Some Told Nothing Was Wrong

When they did report symptoms, one-third of the women were not given a pelvic exam at the first visit and 30% received treatment for another disease before the correct diagnosis was made. Many were told their symptoms were due to irritable bowel syndrome, stress, gastritis, depression or constipation, or that nothing was wrong at all. Only one-fifth were told at their first visit they might have ovarian cancer. About one-third were not correctly diagnosed until they had seen three or more health care providers, and many felt their concerns were not taken seriously.

About 95% of women diagnosed with ovarian cancer survive five years or more if they are diagnosed before the cancer spreads beyond the ovaries — but only about one-quarter of women with ovarian cancer are diagnosed this early . The 5-year survival rate drops to about 79% if the cancer has spread to tissues near the ovary, and plummets to 28% when more distant spread has occurred.

An expert on ovarian cancer affiliated with the American Cancer Society (ACS) says the study should be interpreted with caution, in part because the women who answered the survey may not have remembered their symptoms before diagnosis perfectly. But the main points of Goff’s research are worth remembering, says Carolyn D. Runowicz, MD, professor and director of the division of gynecologic oncology at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine in New York.

Avoid Delayed Diagnoses

“As a doctor, I know that when a patient perceives something, it’s usually real, and if patients are telling us their symptoms are being misperceived or ignored, it’s probably true,” says Runowicz, who is a member of the ACS advisory board on gynecologic cancers. She says several actions can help avoid delayed diagnoses.

“Women with symptoms should have a pelvic exam, and all women should have a good physical exam every year that includes breast, pelvic and rectal exams; that will check for most women’s cancers,” she says.

“Physicians examining women with non-specific symptoms such as those described in the study should begin with a pelvic exam,” Runowicz says. “If they don’t feel anything, they might want to go on to a transvaginal ultrasound to visualize the ovaries, or begin a gastrointestinal tract workup.”

Runowicz agrees with Goff that if delays in diagnoses could be eliminated through increased patient and doctor awareness, more women with the disease could be cured and others helped to live longer.

——————————————————————————–
ACS News Center stories are provided as a source of cancer-related news and are not intended to be used as press releases.

Printer-Friendly Page

Email this Page

Related Tools & Topics

Bookstore

Learn About Cancer

Prevention & Early Detection

Not registered yet?

Gilda’s Club Seattle…..now on facebook :)

February 12, 2010 in About Ovarian Cancer, Local Chapter or Support, Resources, Spread the Word | No comments

Website:http://www.gildasclubseattle.orgCompany Overview:Gilda’s Club is named in honor of Gilda Radner, who, when describing the emotional and social support she received when she had cancer, called for such places of participation, education, hope and friendship to be made available for people with cancer and their families and friends everywhere. The New York flagship facility, with its International Training Center, opened in June of 1995.

Anna Gottlieb, our Executive Director, saw an article in People Magazine on a rainy Seattle afternoon many years ago about the first Gilda’s Club opening in New York City. She was so intrigued by the family focus and the humor that went along with a cancer support community that she went to NY to see it for herself.

She was so convinced that this wonderful program was needed in Seattle that she spent the last few years pursuing this dream.

Gilda’s Club Seattle officially opened its red doors on March 7th 2002. We now have over 2500 members and are always growing. We welcome all those touched by cancer to come and join us.
(read less)
Gilda’s Club is named in honor of Gilda Radner, who, when describing the emotional and social support she received when she had cancer, called for such places of participation, education, hope and friendship to be made available for people with cancer and their families and friends everywhere. The New York flagship facility, with its International Training Center, opened in June of 1995.

Anna Gottlieb, our Executive Director, saw an article in People Magazine on a rainy Seattle afternoon… (read more)Mission:Gilda’s Club provides meeting places where men, women and children living with cancer and their families and friends join with others to build emotional, social and educational support as a supplement to medical care. Free of charge and nonprofit, we offer support and networking groups, lectures, workshops and social events in a nonresidential, homelike setting.Products:We are so glad that you have chosen to see how this unique Program of support works for the thousands of people who come to Gilda’s Club to learn how to live with cancer. If you or a family member or friend has cancer, our staff and volunteers will show you a Program that will give you the social and emotional support you already feel that you need — support that is probably missing from your life, if you are like many of us. At our warm and friendly Clubhouse we build that support together — at no cost. Men, women, children, families, and friends — all of you are welcome.

Latest research on ovarian cancer…..

February 10, 2010 in News | No comments

From the Tacoma News Tribune,
Breakthrough in detection of Ovarian Cancer:

SEATTLE – Researchers have taken a small but potentially significant step closer to early detection of ovarian cancer, a sneaky disease that’s often diagnosed too late for effective treatment.
Various cancer “biomarkers” begin to show up in blood tests long before symptoms occur, but aren’t accurately predictive until later, when tumors likely have reached an advanced stage, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center researchers have found.
The study, published Wednesday in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute, was headed by Garnet Anderson and Nicole Urban of the Hutchinson center’s Division of Public Health Sciences.
“What this study did was move one step closer to early detection,” said Anderson, a biostatistician. “It gives us an idea of where we want to go but doesn’t solve the problem.”
For several years, the ovarian cancer researchers have focused on biomarkers, proteins secreted by tumors, hoping to find one or more that show up early in the disease’s progress. Now, most ovarian cancer cases aren’t diagnosed in the early stages, when treatment has a high cure rate.
The researchers analyzed stored blood samples collected over many years for a previous large research study involving women smokers. Ultimately, 34 of those women were diagnosed with ovarian cancer. Looking at the blood samples, taken periodically up to 18 years before diagnosis, the researchers found that three of six biomarkers, including one known as CA125, increased in cancer patients up to three years before diagnosis, compared with patients without ovarian cancer.
But at that early stage, the levels weren’t high enough to accurately predict the disease, researchers found. A high degree of accuracy is required for such tests, the researchers wrote, “because a definitive diagnosis requires surgery.”
Only at a year or less before the women were diagnosed with ovarian cancer did the blood levels of the biomarkers become more accurate. While the researchers said they didn’t know whether that was sufficient time to help women live longer, a local cancer authority who was not involved in the study said any lead time may help.