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Epidemiology of Ovarian Cancer

The symptoms of ovarian cancer are mild and often go undetected, leaving some to characterize the disease as "the silent killer." The epidemiology of ovarian cancer shows a future that is not very optimistic. However, a CA 125 blood test, along with a pelvic exam and ultrasound, can detect ovarian cancer in its earliest stages, and increase a woman's chances of survival.

  1. Identification

    • In order to understand the epidemiology of ovarian cancer, it is important to identify the term "epidemiology" and how it relates to disease. While the word can be used to describe the prevalence of a disease amongst a specified group of people through statistical reports and extensive research, it neither acknowledges, nor addresses any specific cause. Instead, epidemiology recognizes the possibility that environmental influences may play a role in diseases, but not that they are the direct cause.

    Effects

    • The ovaries are almond-sized reproductive organs that rest in the pelvic area of a woman's body. In ovarian cancer, an overgrowth of cells forms a tumor or cyst that is malignant. These abnormal cells can spread to other parts of the body, resulting in metastatic disease that is often detrimental to the overall health of the body. However, despite its high risk of incidence, and devastating prognosis, ovarian cancer is far from being a disease that is understood by physicians or researchers, and the causes are undetermined.

    The Facts

    • Although it is second to uterine cancer in commonality, ovarian cancer is the leader in gynecological deaths amongst women. Those with a blood relative who has a history of ovarian disease, uterine or breast cancer, are at an increased risk, while those that have used oral contraceptives, have had a full-term pregnancy, tubal ligation or total hysterectomy, have a reduced risk of acquiring the disease.

    Time Frame

    • Early detection is crucial to the treatment of ovarian cancer. Research shows that eighty to ninety percent of "stage one" ovarian cancer patients have a survival rate of five years following diagnosis. Unfortunately, a great number of ovarian cancer patients are diagnosed in the later stages, most commonly the third stage of the disease, significantly reducing the five-year time frame of life expectancy.

    Prevalence

    • Research shows that ovarian cancer is more common in women over the age of sixty, although it can strike women earlier in life who have a family history of ovarian or other gynecological cancers. Thirty thousand cases of ovarian cancer are diagnosed every year, and the disease is responsible for approximately five percent of the cancer deaths in the United States.

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