"Women, do you have frequent urination and gas?"... 4 unexpected factors that could increase your risk of cancer?

The earlier a cancer is detected, the higher the survival rate. Ovarian cancer is no exception. However, detecting this cancer is by no means easy. Recent research suggests that closely observing four symptoms can help detect ovarian cancer a little earlier.

 

According to the Australian non-profit media outlet The Conversation, four symptoms that can help detect ovarian cancer early include abdominal bloating, abdominal pain, frequent urination, and feeling full quickly after eating. A joint research team including the University of Birmingham and the University of Oxford recently announced this result after analyzing 1,741 people (average age 63) recruited from 24 hospitals in the UK.

 

According to the research team, the five-year survival rate after treatment is 92% for ovarian cancer that has not spread to other parts of the body (metastasized). However, more than 50% of women diagnosed with ovarian cancer are first diagnosed when the cancer has already spread to other parts of the body. The survival rate is 72% for cancer that has spread to nearby lymph nodes, and only 31% for cancer that has already metastasized to distant sites at the time of diagnosis. This is why early detection of ovarian cancer is crucial. Professor Sean Kehoe (Gynecologic Oncology) of the University of Oxford, co-lead author of the study, said, "By focusing on four symptoms, including abdominal bloating, we were able to detect even the most aggressive forms of ovarian cancer at an early stage."

Ovarian cancer cannot be detected through a Pap smear, and pelvic exams are not very useful as a first-line screening test. Furthermore, many symptoms, such as fatigue, constipation, and irregular menstruation, are vague and often overlap with other common conditions. This makes early detection of ovarian cancer difficult, even before a thorough examination.

 

The research team recruited 2,596 women aged 16 to 90 from 24 hospitals across the UK between June 2015 and July 2022. They asked them to monitor four symptoms, including abdominal bloating. The team classified 1,741 women who consistently or frequently reported one or more of these symptoms as being on the "fast-track pathway" and placed them on intensive care. Approximately 12% of these women were diagnosed with ovarian cancer. A further 6.8% were diagnosed with the most aggressive form of ovarian cancer (high-grade serous ovarian cancer), which accounts for approximately 90% of ovarian cancer deaths. However, one in four women with this cancer was diagnosed at an early stage.

 

The research team stated, "Focusing on these four symptoms could lead to earlier detection of ovarian cancer and significantly reduce the need for doctors to recommend ovarian cancer screening to all women with general fatigue or constipation." This could potentially improve the effectiveness of ovarian cancer screening and treatment.

 

Meanwhile, four ways to reduce the risk of developing ovarian cancer include reducing the frequency of ovulation, taking oral contraceptives, having a prophylactic salpingectomy for women at high genetic risk (those with BRCA1 or BRCA2 gene mutations), and getting regular gynecological cancer screenings.

 

 

 

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Ovarian cancer??

We are required to have a cervical cancer screening every two years.

It's hard to find there too

 

Separate tests are needed, such as for the liver or lungs.

There are a lot of things to add when getting a health checkup this year.