Ovarian cancer is just one of the many difficulties that women could encounter. This pernicious condition that starts in the ovarian tissues can take origin in both epithelial and germ cells. How does it impact women? To discuss this, Dr Viral Patel, Gynaecological Oncologist and Robotic Surgeon, HCG Hospitals, Ahmedabad, Gujarat is with us. If you want to know more about the disease, access the conversation with the link below:
Q. What are the non-familial risk factors of ovarian cancer?
Yes, family history is the major risk factor for ovarian cancer. If you have anybody in your family diagnosed with ovarian cancer, breast cancer, colorectal cancer, uterus cancer and uterine cancer then you should go for genetic counseling and assess the risk for ovarian cancer in future. If you have a late menopause, early menarche, if you have gone through hormonal depressant therapy then definitely you have more risk. If you have endometriosis, then also you have a little more risk. Lastly, one more unavoidable risk factor is increasing age. The woman between 50 to 79 of the age has the highest risk for ovarian cancer.
Q. When to seek immediate medical attention for the warning signs?
Ovarian cancer’s signs and symptoms are vague, that’s why it’s also called a silent killer. The symptoms can be like any other regular issues like acidity, bloating, etc. This is why most patients come to know about ovarian cancer at a much later stage. Still, you can guess the indication of ovarian cancer, if there is abdominal pain and bloating, loss of appetite, feeling full very quickly and the urinary symptoms. If you face these every other day, then be cautious of it. Remember, out of 100 women who have had ovarian tumour or cyst, only 4 women pose the chances of ovarian cancer.
Q. What’s the current status of effective ovarian cancer screening?
When someone is diagnosed with ovarian cancer, the only treatment modality for ovarian cancer is its surgical removal. So, that part becomes a little difficult for the patient, especially the ones who are diagnosed with the condition. Treatment modalities like chemotherapy and other newer agents are also available in the market, such as the targeted therapy like PARP inhibitors, BRCA mutations and some hormonal treatments. If you’ve an advanced stage of ovarian cancer, you’ll be started with chemotherapy then surgery and again chemotherapy. This applies for early stages or even in the manageable cases.
Q. Are there any home remedies to support the conventional medical treatments?
Chemotherapy has side effects. Usually we advise patients to avoid ‘mass contact’ or coming into contact with crowds. You can eat boiled vegetables, and if you eat fruits make sure to peel the entire skin. This is to prohibit infection and always wear a mask. You can consume turmeric as part of your diet as it’s an immunity booster. Consecutively, lemon or citrus for Vitamin C is another dietary option. The most important aspect throughout this cancer management is rehabilitation (starts right from the diagnosis). The aforementioned steps help you for a better surgical outcome. Post-surgical recovery also becomes faster by pre-rehabilitation. The purpose is to restore the routine life prior to the diagnosis of ovarian cancer. Otherwise, the whole treatment is useless.
Q. How does family or emotional support play a role?
It’s an important aspect of cancer management, in fact, this comes on top of anything we have described so far. Without family support and emotional attachment, you cannot revive this treatment. Hence, for a better outcome and cancer survival family support is must.
Q. What are the proactive measures to lower the risk of ovarian cancer?
Pregnancy and breastfeeding lower the risk of ovarian cancer as it decreases the estrogen level. If a female had two kids and breastfed, then the progesterone exposure will be high in the body. Besides, oral contraceptive pills will also decrease the chances of this cancer by 50%. Furthermore, as part of a healthy lifestyle avoid obesity.
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