Encomium
Mayowa Ahmed Shukurat has successfully raised $100,000 to fund her surgery at Emory International Hospital, Atlanta, USA, thank God for the internet and well-meaning people who stood up for her. However, other young ladies may not be this lucky, so it’s important that we know more about the devastating ailment- Bilateral Ovarian Mass Cancer, the causes, symptoms, prevention measures and the stages. Thankfully, it is curable.
ABOUT BILATERAL OVARIAN CANCER
It is a malignancy of the ovaries, the female sex organs that produce eggs and make the hormones estrogen and progesterone.
Ovarian cancer often goes undetected until it has spread within the pelvis and abdomen. At this late stage, ovarian cancer is more difficult to treat and is frequently fatal.
SIGNS AND SYMPTOMS
The signs and symptoms of an ovarian cancer patient may include: Abdominal bloating or swelling, Changes in bowel habits, such as constipation, quickly feeling full when eating, frequent need to urinate, weight loss, discomfort in the pelvis area, ongoing pain or cramps in the belly or back, abnormal vaginal bleeding, nausea, and bloating.
PREVENTION
At the very instance of felling any of the signs symptoms listed above, the first thing to do is to see a doctor. If you have a family history of ovarian cancer or breast cancer, talk to your doctor about your risk of ovarian cancer. Your doctor may refer you to a genetic counselor to discuss testing for certain gene mutations that increase your risk of breast and ovarian cancers. Only a small number of women are found to have genetic mutations that can lead to ovarian cancer.
You cannot control some things that put you at risk for ovarian cancer, such as your family history or inheriting gene changes. But you can make some personal choices that lower your risk of cancer and other diseases like eating a healthy diet with plenty of fruits, vegetables, and whole grains. It is also advised that female with the aforementioned symptoms should be active; ask your doctor about what kinds of activity and how much activity would be good for you.
STAGES
Early-stage ovarian cancer and Advanced-stage ovarian cancer.
CAUSES
You may also be more likely to get this Bilateral Ovarian cancer if:
You never had a baby.
You started your menstrual cycles before age 12 and went through menopause after age 50.
You are unable to become pregnant.
You have used hormone therapy for menopause symptoms.
Other factors that increases the chances of having ovarian cancer are
- Having a family history of ovarian cancer. Having a mother, sister, or daughter who has had ovarian cancer will raise your risk. And if you have two close relatives with cancer, you will have a higher risk.
- Inheriting gene changes. A small number of women with a family history of cancer have inherited gene changes, such as the BRCA gene changes. Having certain gene changes can put a woman at the highest riskslideshow.gif for ovarian cancer.
3. Taking birth control pills (oral contraceptives).
TREATMENT
Before a treatment method is recommended, the doctor must consider the patient in this aspects: age, overall health, quality of life, and desire to have children.
Depending on the cancer stage, ovarian cancer treatment includes surgery, chemotherapy and radiation therapy.
Surgery is recommended to find out if the patient has cancer and also to treat it; it may include taking biopsies to check for the spread of cancer.
Chemotherapy on the other hand is the use medicines to kill cancer cells. It is recommended after surgery for most stages of ovarian cancer.
Women with more advanced ovarian cancer may have part of their chemotherapy before surgery and the rest of it after surgery. This can make the surgery safer for these women.
Radiation therapy may be used to destroy cancer cells using high-dose X-rays or other high-energy rays.
Each of these treatment methods has their own side effects. Surgery, for example, depending on the extent of the surgery, the doctor may remove the ovaries meaning the patient will no longer be able to bear children. And if you were still menstruating before your surgery, you will start menopause.
For chemotherapy, the side effects may include loss of appetite, nausea, vomiting, fatigue, hair loss and increased chance of getting an infection.
– ‘Seyifunmi Adebote for encomium.ng
