Archive for the ‘Ovarian Cancer’ Category

PostHeaderIcon Ovarian Cancer Survival Rates



Cancer is a deadly disease all over the world, with very little known about curing it completely. One type of cancer that affects many women around the world is ovarian cancer. It has now become the fifth leading cause of death in cancer patients and leads the charts under all the gynaecological cancer deaths. Women of all demographics, races and ethnicities show risk factors for developing ovarian cancer. After one has been diagnosed with ovarian cancer, the first response is to affirm the ovarian cancer survival rates and life expectancy. These rates differ from patient to patient, but some common factors are the age, family history of disease and early diagnoses of the cancer.

As the age of a woman increases, so do the chances of her having ovarian cancer. Very few women below the age of 40 are seen to suffer from this, but it is not a complete rarity. However, ovarian cancer survival rates are much higher in young women that the elderly. Women under the age of 20 show the highest survival rates, with close to 99% of the women recovering fully from it. This changes almost minimally for women under the age of 30 with death rates climbing to 0.8%. With early screening of cancer, death rates decline rapidly and most women go on to live completely healthy lives. After the age of 35, with the onset of other gynaecological problems and lower chances of pregnancy, the survival rates take a slight dip; going down to some 96.8% and even lower if the cancer has advanced to stage III or IV.

Once women cross the age of 45 years, ovarian cancer survival rates decrease even further, going down to 85%. Life expectancy at this point is not very high and can be further complicated if breast cancer develops at the same time. Once women hit their sixties, the life expectancy goes down to some five to six years, after remission. If the patient is healthy and active at the time of diagnoses, then this can be extended to 12 to 15 years, but no more. If diagnosed in the final stages of its spread, then ovarian cancer survival rates can be very low. At this point, chemotherapy and radiation therapy are seen to be the best options for treatment.

After the age of 65 years and above, the rates drop straight to 75% and life expectancy is down to 1 year to 2 after the diagnoses. Proper treatment may provide relief but for very long. Very few women suffer from ovarian cancer after the age of 80 but those who do display longer survival rates but can suffer from detoriated health due to other illnesses and conditions. Long term therapy is advised for such patients, since surgery can be a futile risk to take. As with all diseases, proper therapy and early diagnoses can increase survival rates and life expectancy after that. One must always go in for regular health screenings and check ups to diagnose cancer of any kind at an early stage and cure it.

PostHeaderIcon Signs and Treatment of Ovarian Cancer



Cancer is a very efficient and skilled silent killer. There are various types of cancer in fact, and these cancers are nothing but a condition in which the cells multiply in an uncontrollable manner forming masses of cells called tumors.

Ovarian cancer is associated with women and it is a very dangerous situation. Ovaries are the most important reproductive organ in any women. These ovaries produce eggs or ova and are passed through the fallopian tubes to the uterus where these eggs are fertilized by sperms, if any sperms are available at that time. Ovary cancer affects these ovaries. Let us take a look at some of the signs and treatments usually done for ovarian cancer.

Let us always keep in mind that cancer is not like common cold and can’t be treated in that way. Some cancers show signs at a very early stage whereas some show signs only at a later stage. Usually there are no specific signs just for ovary cancer. Signs usually show up at a later stage and these signs are also associated with many other medical situations. So it is pretty tough to draw out conclusions when you face certain symptoms. At a beginning stage ovary cancer remains silent and signs start popping out only when the tumor has got big enough to affect other parts of the body as well.

The only earlier symptom known to be associated with ovarian cancer is the irregularity of menstrual cycles. Later symptoms include excessive pain or pressure in the pelvic area. You might feel terrible pain while having intercourse; a slight swelling of lower abdomen is also a symptom at a later stage, feeling of fullness and an urge to urinate frequently, constipation is another situation associated with ovary cancer at a later stage.

Nausea and also vomiting is noted at a later stage, frequent diarrhea and forming gas, abdominal pain due to fluids formed and etc. These signs however show up at a later stage and one might mistake these symptoms for some minor health issues. Always get a check up when you come across any symptoms; a stitch in time always saves nine.

Treatment of ovarian cancer is usually chemotherapy and surgery. In the early stages only the ovary infected with cancer cells and that particular fallopian tubes will be removed. But if the stage worsens, even the uterus will have to be removed along with ovary and fallopian tubes. The preventive techniques are basically stopping ovulation or preventing ovulation, like taking birth control pills, getting pregnant so often, tying the fallopian tubes. However these are not 100 percent guaranteed preventive measure.

Keep a check on your health from time to time. If there are any symptoms that show up frequently then get it clarified. Regular full body checkups can be of great help as you can figure out things that go around in your body. Health is always wealth, so try to always save some budget for your health and always keep you health insurance valid. Maintain a healthy lifestyle and eat healthy.

You should consider taking regular workouts and a proper routine that your body will find peace with. If everything goes well you can stay away from such situations to a great extent. Ovarian cancer is a dangerous situation, and make sure you do everything from your side to prevent it.

PostHeaderIcon Cervical Cancer Survival Rate – Dare to Know Your Chances



A long time ago, the cervical cancer survival rate is pretty low. In fact, it’s too low that it accounts for a huge number of deaths among women in the united states. With the increasing mortality rate of those who were under the disease, more women began pushing this cancer’s education and awareness to protect the lives of both unaffected and affected females in the nation.

As of today, the number of lives taken due to cervical cancer is decreased with more women appreciating the benefits of early detection through regular and annual pap smears. Because more women are now more careful of their body and their health, cervical cancer is now deduced from being a killer disease to an illness that is easily prevented and detected.

Cancer of the cervix has 4 stages – stages 1 to 4. In this case, stage 1 is the earliest (and less dangerous) and stage 4 is the most dangerous.

Stage 1 has two phases: Stage 1A and Stage 1B. At the 1st phase, the Cervical Cancer Survival Rate is pretty agreeable at 96-99%. Since this is the first phase of your cancer experience, the cancer is still localized and may be easily taken by surgery. Stage 1B has around 80-90% rate of survival and may be treated with a combination of surgery, chemo and radiation therapy.

At stage 2, the cancer has already proliferated to the surrounding tissues outside the uterus. At a five-year time period, the Cervical Cancer Survival Rate of patients diagnosed during this stage is significantly lower at 65-69%. Treatment is the same with the previous stage but dosage and frequency of the medications and therapy sessions may be higher.

In most cancer cases, it is dangerous to leave the cancer untreated until it reaches the 3rd stage. It is because prognosis at this stage is very poor and the Cervical Cancer Survival Rate is quite low at 40-43% even with adequate chemo and radiation therapy.

At the fourth stage of the disease, the cancer may have already affected the distant organs such as the pelvis and even the intestines. Even with treatment, the percentage of survival is still at 15-20%.

Cancer of the cervix is equally prevalent among women with kids and without and also to women with active sex life or those without. Like most cancers, the direct and exact cause of cancer of the cervix is unknown but is loosely related to a woman’s lifestyle, race and even her socio-economic status.

The preventative and detective measures primarily suggested by most medical practitioners are biannual or annual pap smear tests as soon as a woman begins engaging in active sex or as early as eighteen years of age.