Ovarian cancer

Disease Description

Ovarian cancer is a malignant tumor affecting the main female gonad. Cancer cells often affect only one ovary, but sometimes the disease spares neither. It can develop in patients of absolutely any age, but the peak incidence occurs between 40 and 60 years. Early detection of the pathology makes it possible to achieve a complete cure in 90% of cases.

Symptoms indicating the need for diagnosis and treatment

In the early stages, oncogenesis is asymptomatic. The first signs, appearing as the ovarian tumor grows, are nonspecific. These include:

• General weakness and drowsiness
• Menstrual cycle disorders
• Discomfort during urination
• Loss of appetite, rapid satiety, heartburn, and abdominal bloating
• Low-grade fever (around 37 degrees Celsius)

Later, symptoms become more pronounced:

• Increase in abdominal size
• Palpable mass (during bimanual pelvic examination)
• In late stages — ascites (accumulation of fluid in the abdominal cavity)
• Weight loss

Diagnosis and treatment methods

Diagnosis

In 75% of cases, ovarian cancer is diagnosed at advanced stages, when the patient presents with complaints. The five-year survival rate for stage 3—4 oncology is no more than 40%.

In the world’s top clinics, ultrasound is used as a screening test, allowing for a full assessment of the size and structure of the gonads. If abnormalities are detected (evaluation according to the O-RADS system), the next step — MRI in three-dimensional space — is recommended. The diagnostic combination of ultrasound plus MRI increases diagnostic accuracy to 98%.

In addition, a woman with suspected tumor is prescribed a series of laboratory tests, including a specific test for the cancer marker CA-125. In European clinics, it is possible to undergo all necessary examinations in one day.

Treatment

The main type of treatment at any stage is surgical intervention. At an early stage with low malignancy of the cancer, the tumor is removed without chemotherapy.

If chemotherapy cannot be avoided, a woman of reproductive age is offered cryopreservation of viable oocytes so that she can later give birth to a healthy baby.

In advanced cancer, removal of nearby structures — the uterine body, cervix, and fallopian tubes — is indicated. In Europe, for young nulliparous patients, the focus is on organ-preserving methods (the decision is made by a medical board).

Innovations in global clinics

Scientists from the Chinese Academy of Sciences have developed a highly potent drug for the treatment of ovarian tumors, with research results published in the journal Science Advances. The developers concluded that ovarian cancer depends on the mechanism of transcription termination involving CPSF3 activity and used this discovery in the creation of the medication.