Ovarian cancer is when cancer begins in the ovaries. This type of cancer usually goes undetected until it has spread to the abdomen, liver, bladder and bowels. There are different types of ovarian cancer depending on the type of cell where the cancer has begun.
It’s important to know the different stages of ovarian cancer as there is a different prognosis at different stages. The cancer needs to be staged accurately as this determines the cure or the treatment of the patient.
The 4 stages in ovarian cancer are -
If ovarian cancer is detected in stage I or in the early stages, it’s still deemed curable. The detection of the cancer in its early stages is still quite rare as the symptoms barely come to the surface. Cancer organizations encourage women to get themselves checked if symptoms like bloating, feeling full despite eating or difficulty in eating, pelvic pain and frequent urination occurs. These symptoms if faced daily should be a cause of concern and a reason to go to a doctor. Keep in mind though these symptoms could be the cause of some other issues, so let your doctor be the one to diagnose you.
Once the cancer starts to spread, you will experience pain in the stomach, the pelvis region and the lower back.
Symptoms of the final stages of ovarian cancer are - a very upset stomach, frequent urination, a lot of gas or flatulence, feeling weary all the time and change in the menstrual cycle. Since detection of the cancer usually happens in the last stages, the outcome is very poor and unfortunately most of the times fatal.
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