Around 7,400 women are diagnosed with ovarian cancer in the UK every year - making it the sixth most common cancer in women, according to Cancer Research UK. While ovarian cancer is more common in older women over the age of 50, anyone can get the disease.
And there are certain risk factors that can increase the chances of developing it, including smoking and medical conditions such as endometriosis as well as diabetes. Experts say the biggest issue with this type of cancer is that currently more than 75 percent of cases are diagnosed at a later stage, when the cancer has already spread into the abdomen or beyond, reports The Mirror. And while treatments have significantly improved, a later diagnosis does mean that survival rates are lower.
According to gynaecologist Dr Susanna Unsworth, one of the biggest reasons for later diagnosis is that ovarian cancer does not often cause significant symptoms until it has already become quite advanced. However, she claims there are several subtle symptoms that may potentially be an early sign of ovarian cancer and she is warning women to be cautious of them.
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"I would encourage booking a review with your GP if you are experiencing them," she said. "Many of the symptoms are subtle and do not mean that you have ovarian cancer. But it is worth having them checked out to hopefully exclude any underlying problem."
The doctor says the "key symptom" to look out for are bloating, pain, urinary symptoms and a lump or swelling. She went on to explain what exactly to keep an eye on for each of these.
For bloating, this is "new onset bloating, bloating that does not settle within two to weeks, bloating that is happening frequently without an obvious trigger, and bloating that is not resolving with the usual treatments/dietary changes". Next, you need to be wary of "a new pain in the pelvis, back or lower abdomen that does not quickly settle" according to the expert.
And if you notice you are passing "urine more frequently or developed the need to get up during the night to pass urine" this could be a warning sign. In addition to this, you may also experience a loss of appetite or feeling full quickly after eating and if you notice any lump or swelling in the lower abdomen or pelvis, Dr Unsworth recommends seeing your GP straightaway, although she claims this would be an "unusual" early sign.
Other symptoms to look out for include persistent indigestion, change in bowel habit (either constipation or diarrhoea), unexplained weight loss, persistent fatigue or abnormal vaginal bleeding.
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