Unfortunately, too many women fail to listen to their bodies, recognize symptoms for what they are, and communicate them to their doctors in a timely fashion. According to the American Cancer Society, 21,650 cases of ovarian cancer were diagnosed in 2008, and 15,520 women died from the disease. The low detection and the high mortality rates account for the fact that patients are usually diagnosed in advanced stages after the cancer has spread beyond the ovaries. Only 45% of all women diagnosed with ovarian cancer live more than 5 years after being diagnosed. But if detected early, it is highly treatable with surgery, offering a survival rate exceeding 92%. According to the Gilda Radner Familial Ovarian Cancer Registry, only 20-25% of those diagnosed after the cancer has spread live for five years or more.
Bottom line: get educated, get in touch with your body, and get a proper and complete diagnosis early.
Nancy Muller
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