Symptoms
Many people do not have symptoms, or have only vague symptoms, until the disease has progressed significantly. As a result, only 15% of lung cancers are discovered in early stages, when the possibility of curative treatment is greatest. When lung cancer does cause symptoms, they can include:
-Coughing
- Shortness of breath (dyspepsia)
- Fatigue
- Chest, shoulder, upper back, or arm pain
- Repeated pneumonia or bronchitis
- Blood coughed up in sputum (hemoptysis)
- Loss of appetite and weight loss
- General pain
- Hoarseness
- Wheezing
- Swelling in the face or neck
Sometimes, symptoms may seem unrelated to the lungs or breathing. Because lung cancer usually is diagnosed in a later stage, the primary cancer may have already spread to the other lung or other parts of the body. Depending upon where the cancer spreads and which organs are affected, symptoms can also include headaches, bleeding, weakness, bone fractures, or blood clots.
Many people with early lung cancer do not have symptoms, so the disease is often not diagnosed until after it has spread. A person who experiences any of the following symptoms should see a doctor:
- a cough or chest pain that doesn't go away
- a wheezing sound when breathing
- shortness of breath
- coughing up blood
- hoarseness
- swelling in the face and neck
Lung Cancer Alliance:
On Wednesday, October 26, 2006 the New England Journal of Medicine published a paper by Claudia Henschke, MD and David Yankelevitz, MD founders and principle investigators of the International Early Lung Cancer Action Program (I-ELCAP) on the results of their 13 year study on screening for lung cancer.
The landmark study found that with CT Screening lung cancer can be detected at the earliest stage (Stage I) in 85% of patients and can lead to an estimated 10 year survival rate of 88%. The estimated 10 year survival rate goes even higher, to 92%, for those whose early detected cancers are removed immediately.
For more information on the Lung Cancer Alliance, please visit www.lungcanceralliance.org
Statistics
Ovarian cancer is the 8th most common cancer among women and ranks 5th in cancer deaths among women.
-A woman?s lifetime risk of getting ovarian cancer is about 1 in 70, or 1.4%.
-Her lifetime chance of dying from ovarian cancer is about 1 in 95, or 1.05%.
-The 5-year survival rate is 20-30% if diagnosed at an advanced stage of disease.
-The 5-year survival rate is 90-95% if diagnosed early as Stage I.
-Only 25-30% of all ovarian cancers are detected at this early stage.
Risk Factors: increase the odds of getting a disease but do not guarantee that it will occur.
-Research has found several risk factors that have been shown to increase the risk of a woman
developing epithelial ovarian cancer, which accounts for 85-90% of all ovarian cancers.
-Age- Half of all ovarian cancers are detected in women older than 63 years of age.
-Obesity- An American Cancer Society study found a higher death rate in obese women.
-Reproductive history- There may be a relationship between an increasing number of menstrual cycles
in a woman?s lifetime and her risk of developing ovarian cancer. This includes onset of menstruation
before age 12, childbearing after age 30 or never having any children, and/or menopause after age 50.
-Family history of ovarian cancer, breast cancer, or colorectal cancer- Risk is increased if your mother,
sister, or daughter has had ovarian cancer, with a higher risk if the cancer occurred before age 55. -About 10% of ovarian cancers have a hereditary tendency, which includes a mutation in the breast
cancer gene BRCA1 or BRCA2.
-Personal history of breast cancer.
Screening: exams and tests meant to detect a disease in patients without symptoms.
-There is presently NO type of screening method that has proven effective in lowering the number of
deaths caused by ovarian cancer.
-The most thoroughly studies screening tests are measuring a CA-125 level in the blood or using pelvic
ultrasound, but neither is recommended for screening.
-CA-125 can be falsely elevated in many benign conditions and is not elevated in all ovarian cancers.
-Pelvic ultrasound is helpful in detecting a mass in the ovary, but it cannot accurately determine which
masses are cancerous and which are benign.
Signs and Symptoms
-Abdominal swelling or bloating
-Pelvic pressure or abdominal pain
-Difficulty eating or feeling full quickly
-Constipation
-Indigestion
-Urinary urgency or frequency
-Back pain
-Fatigue
-Unexplained weight loss
*The best way to detect ovarian cancer early is for both the patient and the physician to have a high index of suspicion if symptoms arise. Although the symptoms associated with ovarian cancer are vague, studies have shown that women with ovarian cancer are symptomatic several months before diagnosis, even with early-stage disease.
Prevention
-Some things can be done to lower a woman?s risk of developing ovarian cancer, namely epithelial
ovarian cancer.
-Oral contraceptives- Use of oral contraceptives for 3 or more years lowers the risk of developing
ovarian cancer by 30 to 50% compared to women who never used oral contraceptives.
-Tubal ligation or hysterectomy- Tubal ligation may decrease the risk of developing ovarian cancer by
up to 67%.
-Pregnancy and breast feeding.
-Diet- Several studies have shown that a diet high in vegetables reduced the risk of ovarian cancer.
-Prophylactic oophorectomy- For select women at high risk of inherited ovarian cancer, removal of the
ovaries after childbearing is an option. However, this does not eliminate the risk of primary peritoneal
cancer, which behaves like ovarian cancer.
For more information on Breast and Ovarian Cancer, please visit NBOCC at www.nbocc.org
Our American Cancer Society is full of helpful information. Please log on to their website for more signs, symptoms and preventive measures regarding Lung and Ovarian Cancer! www.Cancer.org
|
|
