Ovarian Cancer Prognosis
When it comes to cancer deaths, ovarian cancer is the fifth leading cause for women claiming the lives of over 100,000 women per year of the 200,000 women who are diagnosed with the cancer worldwide. Consequently, the prognosis associated with ovarian cancer is not very good. What is an ovarian cancer prognosis? An ovarian cancer prognosis is an educated guess by medical professionals in regards to how long a woman is going to live and whether or not she gets cured from her cancer. These days the medical information that the doctors have at hand can give a very close estimate of how well the woman with cancer can recover or in more advanced cases how long they will survive the ordeal for. Ovarian cancer prognosis includes figures that indicate how many women initially survive from the cancer along with how many women stay cancer free for at least five years.
So, what are the specific figures for an ovarian cancer prognosis? Unfortunately they are not very good. The overall survival rate for ovarian cancer prognosis ranges from 35 to 38 percent. The exception is if ovarian cancer is diagnosed early. The ovarian cancer prognosis for these situations can reach as high as 98 percent. The only problem is that most ovarian cancer cases are not caught early. One of the reasons this is the case is because the symptoms associated with ovarian cancer are minor, and may not concern a woman enough to want to go to the doctor. Another reason is because there are no real screening tests available for ovarian cancer. Doctor’s don’t know for sure that there is even ovarian cancer period until they can see it on an ultrasound or detect cancer cells from tissues extracted in a biopsy.
What does ovarian cancer prognosis mean for a woman? Well, if a woman does not have ovarian cancer, she needs to look at the ovarian cancer prognosis for individuals who had their cancer recognized early. If she has any problems associated with her abdominal region, vaginal bleeding and/or pain during intercourse, she could be experiencing early symptoms of ovarian cancer. So, to try and be a part of the 98 percent statistic, she should go to the doctor as soon as possible and discuss her concerns over ovarian cancer. This is especially the case if she is elderly and/or has a history of ovarian cancer in her family.
Yet, how should a woman who is inflicted with ovarian cancer view the ovarian cancer prognosis? This is a hard question to answer. If the woman has been assured that her ovarian cancer was caught in the earlier stages, the ovarian cancer prognosis could make her feel a lot better about her recovery. But if the woman is going through Stage 3 or 4 of her cancer, (the stages at which most women get diagnosed for the disease), life may seem quite hopeless. It’s hard to stay strong if it’s been officially established that you are more likely to die. Having a strong and supportive family or friends during this time can also help the ladies given their ovarian cancer prognosis to deal with the situation better. Unfortunately not all factors whether in the form of emotional support or spirituality can help cancer patients recover.
Granted, the age of the woman might better help her in accepting a more negative ovarian cancer prognosis. For example, if a woman is in her 70s, she may accept that the ovarian cancer is indicative that it is her time to go. But a woman in her 50s or even less may not be so quick to be tolerant of such negative figures. Either approach is fine, though a woman should be careful that she doesn’t succumb to depression over a more grim prognosis. This is because if she is going to be part of the percentage that does survive, she is going to need to maintain her emotional/spiritual health, because that may be the only thing that helps pulls her through.
Ovarian Cancer Symptoms
The symptoms of ovarian cancer are usually pretty easy to spot. Symptoms include problems with digestion, abdominal pains and swelling, problems with gas and regularly experiences nausea. These are the signs that you will first see, as the cancer develops more symptoms will be seen.
Ovarian Cancer Survival Rates
It’s a shame but only 35 percent of women who get ovarian cancer will survive the terrible cancer. Researchers however are searching for a new drug which will increase the chance of ovarian cancer suffers surviving, initial research has been positive however it will be some time before they find a drug that cures cancer completely.