🎗️Teal Together for Ovarian Cancer Awareness Month🎗️

🎗️Teal Together for Ovarian Cancer Awareness Month🎗️

There's a reason why Ovarian Cancer is known as the deadliest female cancer in Australia. Unfortunately, 4 women are diagnosed with ovarian cancer each day, with statistics showing only 1 in 4 survive longer than 5 years.
  ‎
What's even more alarming is that merely 31% of Australians are aware that ovarian cancer holds the lowest survival rate among female cancers in the country.
  ‎
This devastating disease suffers from a lack of awareness and progress. We need to spread this information across the country for every Australian to know and understand the disease.  

  ‎ 

WHAT IS...

   ‎
‎Ovarian cancer is a growth of cells that form in the ovaries. The cells quickly multiply to invade and destroy healthy body tissue.  

  ‎
Ovarian cancer occurs when cells in or around the ovaries undergo genetic changes (mutations) in their DNA. The DNA serves as a set of instructions that tell the cell what to do. These alterations prompt the cells to undergo rapid growth and multiply, creating a mass (tumor) of cancer cells.
  ‎
Unlike healthy cells that undergo a natural death process, cancer cells continue living. They invade neighboring tissues and break away from the initial tumor to spread to other parts of the body.
  ‎
Ovarian cancer is often undetected until it has extended into the pelvis and abdomen, posing challenges for effective treatment.  

   ‎
   ‎

TYPES OF OVARIAN CANCER.

   ‎
The ovaries are made up of 3 main kinds of cells – epithelial cells, stromal cells and germ cells. Each of these cells can develop into a different type of tumor.

   ‎

Ovarian cancer types include: 

  • Epithelial ovarian cancer. This type is the most common. It includes several subtypes, including serous carcinoma and mucinous carcinoma. 
      ‎
  • Stromal tumors. These rare tumors are usually diagnosed at an earlier stage than other ovarian cancers. 
      ‎
  • Germ cell tumors. These rare ovarian cancers tend to occur at a younger age. 

   ‎

WHAT ARE THE SYMPTOMS?

   ‎
When ovarian cancer is known as the “silent killer” because this disease manifests subtle symptoms that can easily be mistaken for common conditions. It is very important you see your GP if you have any of the symptoms listed below that persist as there is NO early detection test.
  ‎
Ovarian cancer is often undetected until it has extended into the pelvis and abdomen, posing challenges for effective treatment, so the earlier a cancer is found the more success there will be in treating it.
  ‎
The most reported symptoms for ovarian cancer are: 

 

  • Abdominal bloating/swelling 
  • Abdominal or pelvic pain 
  • Quickly feeling full
  • Unexplained weight gain or loss 
  • Fatigue 
  • Lower back pain 
  • Changes in bowel habits, such as constipation 
  • Needing to urinate more
  • Indigestion or nausea 
  • Bleeding after menopause or in-between periods 
  • Pain during sex or bleeding after 

WHO IS MOST AT RISK?

   ‎
A woman's likelihood of developing ovarian cancer rises with age, with most diagnoses in Australia occurring in women aged 60 and above. As of 2022, the average woman faces a 1 in 84 (or 1.2%) chance of being diagnosed with ovarian cancer by her 85th birthday, according to Cancer Australia . Whilst some cases can be linked to a genetic component, the causes of ovarian cancer in most instances remain unknown. 
  ‎ 
As we are amid ovarian cancer awareness month, it's important to note that these articles are not intended to instill fear. The purpose of ovarian cancer awareness month is to promote understanding of the disease and spread awareness!