How Ovarian Cancer Is Diagnosed?

How ovarian cancer is diagnosed? - In cysts and tumors of the ovaries, it is crucial to distinguish benign and malignant in a reliable and quick way. This makes a big difference for an operation and for the well-being of the patient. Thanks to a set of external characteristics of the tumor, an ultrasound can be done quickly and easily with an ultrasound. This is shown by a study at KU Leuven.

Ovarian cancer is known as an assassin, because the disease usually causes few complaints. As a result, the diagnosis is often made at a very late stage. How is ovarian cancer treated? In ovarian cancer treatment consists of laparotomy, possibly preceded by chemotherapy. A laparotomy is a classic operation with a large incision in which all tumor tissue has to be cut away. With most cysts in the ovaries, however, they are benign tumors, which disappear naturally. If an operation is required, it can be done with laparoscopy or keyguard surgery. Only the cyst is cut away via a very small incision.



How ovarian cancer is diagnosed? Ultrasound - imaging with ultrasonic sound waves - is crucial. It is not always easy to distinguish different types of tumors with ultrasound, but it makes a big difference for the treatment. In the operation of a malignant tumor it is important not to open the tumor. Otherwise the cancer cells spread in the abdominal cavity and that reduces the chances of survival of the patient. In the case of a wrong diagnosis, the entire ovary is erroneously removed, it gives a large scar on the abdominal wall and it also means a longer stay in the hospital. "

The set of rules for the ultrasound refers to whether or not external characteristics are to be found: the irregular and solid shape, the diameter, the bulges, the cavities, the blood flow, the calcification, and so on. If a cyst exhibits one of 5 characteristics of a benign tumor or one of 5 characteristics of a malignant tumor, it is classified as good or malignant. The procedure was tested with almost 2,000 women who were operated afterwards. In 77% the rules appeared to be applicable and after examination of the removed tumor it appeared that the rules predicted very reliably good and malignancy. In the other cases - if there are no or contradictory characteristics present - the rules do not provide a definite answer and the assessment by an experienced sonographer is the best method.

Every year hundreds of thousands of women worldwide are affected by ovarian cancer. Because the symptoms of ovarian cancer such as vague abdominal pain or bloating are so little specific, it is important to have a good check on complaints (swollen belly, loss of appetite, pain, abnormal bleeding). In the gynecological examination that every woman performs best every year, the doctor also checks if the ovaries do not enlarge or feel abnormal. The smear serves to prevent another type of cancer, namely the cervix.

*Image source : National Cancer Institute

References :

1. National Cancer Institute
2. Gezondheid.be
3. American Cancer Society