Is there any way to prevent ovarian cancer? No

Is there a link between breast cancer and ovarian cancer? Yes

Is there a reliable early screening test for ovarian cancer?  No

Can a woman who has had her ovaries removed get ovarian cancer?  Yes

Does a pap smear detect ovarian cancer?  No, it detects cervical cancer

A SERIOUS AND UNDER-RECOGNIZED THREAT TO WOMEN’S HEALTH

• Ovarian cancer, the deadliest of the gynecologic cancers, is the fifth leading cause of cancer death among U.S. women.
• Ovarian cancer occurs in 1 out of 67 women.
• About 20,000 women are diagnosed with the disease each year.
• About 15,000 women in the United States die from ovarian cancer each year.
• Currently, 55 percent of the women diagnosed with ovarian cancer die from it within five years; among black women only 40 percent survive five years or more.

OVARIAN CANCER CAN BE TREATED IF DETECTED EARLY

The vast majority of cases are not diagnosed until the cancer has spread beyond the ovaries.

• In cases where ovarian cancer detection happens before it has spread beyond the ovaries, more than 93 percent of women survive longer than five years.
• Yet early stage diagnosis occurs in only 20 percent of ovarian cancer cases in the U.S.
• When diagnosed in the advanced stages, the chance of five-year survival drops to about 30 percent.
• Ovarian cancer is difficult to diagnose because symptoms are easily confused with other diseases and there is no reliable, easy-to-administer screening tool that can be administered to all women.

WHAT CAN YOU DO TO HELP SUCH AN IMPORTANT CAUSE?

Learn the symptoms

The most common symptoms reported include abdominal bloating or discomfort; increased abdominal size or clothes that fit tighter around your waist; increased or urgent need to urinate, and pelvic pain. Additional signs and symptoms are persistent gas, indigestion or nausea; unexplained changes in bowel habits; unexplained weight loss or gain; loss of appetite; feeling full quickly during or after a meal and pain during sexual intercourse; a persistent lack of energy, low back pain, and shortness of breath.

Talk about these symptoms with your friends and your physicians

Know your body; be aware of subtle changes; consult with your physician when they occur; discuss with him/her tests for ovarian cancer

Click Here to speak with survivors and friends.