Risk Factors of Ovarian Cancer and its Treatment

Ovarian Cancer in Women:

Ovarian cancer is a type of cancer that begins in the ovaries. Women have two ovaries, one on each side of the uterus. The ovaries, each about the size of an almond, produce eggs (ova) as well as the hormones estrogen and progesterone.

Ovarian cancer often goes undetected until it has spread within the pelvis and abdomen. At this late stage, ovarian cancer is more difficult to treat and is frequently fatal. Early-stage ovarian cancer, in which the disease is confined to the ovary, is more likely to be treated successfully.

Risk Factors:

Certain factors may increase your risk of ovarian cancer:

• Age: Ovarian cancer can occur at any age but is most common in women ages 50 to 60 years.
• Inherited gene mutation: A small percentage of ovarian cancers are caused by an inherited gene mutation. The genes known to increase the risk of ovarian cancer are called breast cancer gene 1 (BRCA1) and breast cancer gene 2 (BRCA2). These genes were originally identified in families with multiple cases of breast cancer, which is how they got their names, but women with these mutations also have a significantly increased risk of ovarian cancer.
  The gene mutations that cause Lynch syndrome, which is associated with colon cancer, also increase a woman's risk of ovarian cancer.
• Estrogen hormone replacement therapy: especially with long-term use and in large doses.
• Age when menstruation started and ended: If you began menstruating before age 12 or underwent menopause after age 52, or both, your risk of ovarian cancer may be higher.
• Never being pregnant.
• Fertility treatment.
• Smoking.
• Use of an intrauterine device.
• Polycystic ovary syndrome.

If you have a genetic predisposition to ovarian cancer, your doctor may recommend regular pelvic imaging and blood tests to screen for the disease.

Treatments and drugs:

Treatment of ovarian cancer usually involves a combination of surgery and chemotherapy.

Surgery

Treatment generally involves removing both ovaries, the fallopian tubes, the uterus as well as nearby lymph nodes and a fold of fatty abdominal tissue (omentum) where ovarian cancer often spreads. Your surgeon also will remove as much cancer as possible from your abdomen.

Less extensive surgery may be possible if your ovarian cancer was diagnosed at a very early stage. For women with stage I ovarian cancer, surgery may involve removing one ovary and its fallopian tube. This procedure may preserve the ability to have children.

Chemotherapy

After surgery, you'll likely be treated with chemotherapy to kill any remaining cancer cells. Chemotherapy drugs can be injected into a vein or directly into the abdominal cavity or both.

Chemotherapy may be used as the initial treatment in some women with advanced ovarian cancer.