SEPTEMBER
SEPTEMBER IS NATIONAL OVARIAN CANCER MONTH. DOCTORS SAY THIS FORM IS A
CANCER THAT WHISPERS --
MEANING IT IS DIFFICULT TO
DETECT
DETECT AND DIAGNOSE. YESTERDAY I SPOKE WITH
GYNECOLOGIC ONCOLOGIST DR. YVETTE WILLIAMS- BROWN ABOUT
OVARIAN
CANCER.
OVARIAN CANCER.
CANCER.
CANCER. AG: DR. WILLIAMS BROWN, THANK
YOU SO MUCH FOR TALKING WITH US THIS
MORNING.
DWB: GOOD MORNING AND THANK YOU
FOR HAVING ME.
AG: FIRST LET'S TALK ABOUT HOW
COMMON
COMMON OVARIAN CANCER IS IN WOMEN. DWB: OVARIAN CANCER IS NOT VERY
COMMON. IT IS NOT EVEN
THE
THE TOP
THE TOP 10 OF CANCERS IN WOMEN, BUT IT IS THE FIFTH LEADING CAUSE OF DEATH.
AG: AND WHY DOES IT OFTEN RESULT
IN DEATH FOR
WOMEN.
DWB: SO OVARIAN CANCER
UNFORTUNATELY
IS THE TYPE OF DISEASE THAT IS
NOT USUALLY DIAGNOSED
UNTIL LATER STAGES. SO TYPICALLY
IT IS DIAGNOSED IN
STAGES 3 OR FOUR AND TYPICALLY
RESULTS IN
WORSE OUTCOMES IN TERMS OF
SURVIVAL.
SURVIVAL. WHEN OVARIAN CANCER IS CAUGHT EARLY LIKE STAGE ONE THEN SURVIVAL CAN BE ABOUT 90
PERCENT.
PERCENT. AG: SO HOW CAN WE CATCH IT EARLY? DWB: THAT'S A TRICKY QUESTION
AND A DIFFICULT ONE.
BECAUSE THERE AREN'T ANY
RELIABLE SCREENING
TESTS TO DETECT OVARIAN CANCER
THIS IS ONE OF THE
MAIN REASONS WHY IT IS HARD TO
PICK UP. IT DOESN'T HAVE A
SCREENING TEST SUCH AS CERVICAL
CANCER WITH A
PAP TEST OR BREAST CANCER WITH A
MAMMOGRAM.
BUT IT IS IMPORTANT FOR WOMEN TO
BE AWARE OF THE
COMMON SMPTOMS THAT CAN BE
ASSOCIATED
WITH OVARIAN CANCER.
AG: AND TELL US WHAT ARE THOSE
SYMPTOMS.
DWB: SO THOSE SYMPTOMS ARE
BLOATING, AND PELVIC PAIN.
PROBLEMS WITH EATING SUCH AS
FEELING
FEELING FULL QUICKLY OR HAVING SOME FORM OF INDGESTION OR FEELING THE
NEED TO URINATE URGENTLY OR MORE
OFTEN
THE PROBLEM WITH THESES SYMPTOMS
ARE THEY CAN
OCCUR FREQUENTLY WITH OTHER
CONDITIONS NOT
ASSOCIATED WITH CANCER SO IT IS
THE CONSISTENT
SYMPTOMS AND THE PERSISTENT OF
THE SYSMPTOS
USUALY LASTING A COUPLE OF WEEKS
BUT ALSO HAVING A
NEW ONSET OF A COUPLE A MONTHS
THAT SHOULD ALERT A
WOMAN TO KNOW THERE IS SOMETHING
THAT NEEDS TO
BE EVALUATED.
AG: LISTENING TO YOUR BODY IS
OBVIOUSLY IMPORTANT.
TALK TO US THOUGH ABOUT RISK
FACTORS. WHAT WOMEN
ARE MORE LIKELY TO DEVELOP THIS
TYPE OF
CANCER?
DWB: SO OVARIAN CANCER IS
TYPICALLY A
CANCER THAT OCCURS IN WOMEN WHO
HAVE HAD
MENOPAUSE. IT IS POSSIBLE TO
OCCUR BEFORE MENOPAUSE BUT
IT IS VERY RARE FOR THE MOST
COMMON KINDS OF OVARIAN
CANCER TO OCCUR BEFORE THE AGE
OF 40. OTHER RISK
FACTORS WOULD BE HAVIN A FAMILY
HISTORY OF
OVARIAN CANCER OR BREAST CANCER,
ESPECIALLY IN FIRST DEGREE
RELATIVES. AG: WHERE CAN FOLKS GO TO LEARN MORE ABOUT OVARIAN CANCER AND MAYBE THE RISK
FACTORS AND PREVENTION?
DWB: YOU CAN LEARN MORE AT THE
AMERICAN CANCER
WEBSITE AND YOU CAN LEARN MORE
ABOUT RISK
PREVENTION BY KEEPING -
MAINTAINING A HEALTHY WEIGHT, EATING MORE OF A PLANT-BASED DIET KEEPING
YOURSELF ACTIVE, GETTING GOOD
EXERCISE, AND ALSO
MAINING THOSE SCREENING PLANS
WITH YOUR PRIMARY
CARE PROVIDER AND MAKING SURE
YOU ARE STAYING
HEALTHY IN OTHER AREAS AND NOT
JUST IN A CANCER
SCREENING PERSPECTIVE.
AG: WELL DR. WILLIAMS- BROWN WE
THANK YOU FOR
TAKING TIME TO CHAT WITH US
TODAY.
DWB: THANK YO USO MCH FOR