Spotting symptoms 'ineffective in detecting ovarian cancer'
Looking out for symptoms of ovarian cancer is a far from effective means of catching the disease early, the findings of a new study suggest.
Past studies have found that women with the cancer are significantly more likely than those without to exhibit a range of associated symptoms, including bloating, abdominal pain and urinary urgency.
However, scientists working at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Centre in Seattle have noted that, since these symptoms are all relatively common and can be attributed to a number of conditions that are all far more common than ovarian cancer, using them as the main means of detecting the condition is far from effective.
This difficulty in detecting the cancer at an early stage is further compounded by the fact that many doctors misdiagnose potentially telltale signs as effects of the menopause or even depression, while tumours are often too deep to discover during routine pelvic exams.
As such, Dr Mary Ann Rossing, lead author of the new report, which appears in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute, has explained that more needs to be done to find an effective means of detecting ovarian cancer, with a reliance on associated symptoms often doing more harm than good.
"We need to understand more about the benefits and risks for women who receive evaluations for ovarian cancer because of these symptoms," she stated.
"Risks may include the worry and expense of unnecessary testing, ultrasound and even unnecessary surgery."
It is currently estimated that women have a 1.6 per cent chance of developing ovarian cancer in their lifetimes, though this is higher for those with immediate family members who have had the disease.
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