September is National Ovarian Cancer Awareness Month, and there is good news to report.

 

According to the American Cancer Society’s “Ovarian Cancer Statistics, 2018,” rates of ovarian cancer declined by 29 percent between 1985 and 2014 and ovarian cancer deaths declined 33 percent between 1976 and 2015. Read “Report: Ovarian Cancer Rates Continue to Decrease” for a summary of the findings. 

Thanks to treatment advances, women are living longer with ovarian cancer, and it’s increasingly seen as a chronic disease. Click here to read Ovarian Cancer’s New Identity: A Chronic Disease.

Ovarian cancer ranks fifth in cancer deaths among women. An estimated 22,530 women in the United States will be diagnosed with ovarian cancer in 2019, about half of which are age 62 or older. This cancer also is more common in Caucasian women. 

Currently, there is no known way to prevent ovarian cancer.  The following are associated with reduced risk, and patients are advised to discuss the options with their health care provider.:

– Having used birth control pills for five or more years.

– Having a tubal ligation, both ovaries removed or a hysterectomy.

– Having given birth.

– Breastfeeding for a year or more.

There also is no recommended screening for ovarian cancer, though research to discover effective screening methods is ongoing. Symptoms, such as bloating, pelvic or abdominal pain, difficulty eating or feeling full too quickly and urinary urgency or frequency, frustrate early-detection efforts because they are similar to other conditions.

~ Michele Meinhart, Family Nurse Practitioner, New Horizons Healthcare, 3rd Street