With research showing the number of cases of ovarian cancer among younger women on the rise, it's never been more important to know the key symptoms to look out for.
This comes as a new breakthrough in ovarian cancer testing has revealed why some patients respond much better to treatment than others.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), there were 18,518 new cases of Ovarian cancer in 2020 (the last year data was available) and 13,438 women died from the horrific disease in the US.
Cancer is the second leading cause of the death in the US and leads to one of every five deaths.
The CDC highlights six symptoms everyone should be alert for when checking for ovarian cancer:
- Vaginal bleeding (particularly if you are past menopause), or discharge from your vagina that is not normal for you.
- Pain or pressure in the pelvic area.
- Abdominal or back pain.
- Bloating.
- Feeling full too quickly, or difficulty eating.
- A change in your bathroom habits, such as more frequent or urgent need to urinate and/or constipation.
A recent study found: "The incidence of ovarian cancer has been increasing substantially among younger females, probably caused by the increasing prevalence of obesity, metabolic syndrome, estrogen exposure and nulliparity."
New research from Imperial College London has found why some women respond differently to treatment.
The tumours of some women with high-grade serious ovarian cancer (HGSOC) contain a type of lymphoid tissue and its presence gives women a significantly better prognosis.
This type of lymphoid tissue, known as tertiary lymphoid structures (TLS), indicates the patient will have a significantly better outcome.
The study, published in Cell Reports Medicine and funded by the National Institute for Health and Care Research Imperial Biomedical Research Centre, is one of the first times scientists have found TLS in women and linked it to better outcomes.
Lead researcher Dr Haonan Lu, from the Department of Surgery and Cancer, said: "People tend to think of all cancer cell activity as purely malignant - but the reality is less clear-cut.
"Tumours can hijack a number of normal body processes and here, they seem to be hijacking the formation of normal human lymph tissue within themselves.
"Some of these lymphoid structures are able to then mature and activate T cells, which could attack the cancer itself."
The team at the British university was also able to pinpoint the relevant genetic mutations involved in the cancer's TLS formation, some of which are known to have immune-suppressing functions.
Dr Lu said: "There is great potential for targeting these genes for benefits in ovarian cancer treatment. It's now becoming clear how the genetic background of the tumour type interacts with a TLS to have more or less TLS function, and that will help us identify potential targets for therapy."
Artificial Intelligence may also be useful in identifying cancer cells. They hope this could ensure that those women who would benefit from different treatments are found more quickly.
