Ovarian cancer symptoms

Author : Dr Jennifer Frank Family University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health Appleton, Wisconsin  2010-04-28

Ovarian Cancer Symptoms : Digestive symptoms may occur early in ovarian cancer

Women are often diagnosed with ovarian cancer when it is late stage and more difficult to treat, partly because the earliest symptoms are vague and commonly experienced by otherwise healthy women. In the August 2005 journal “Cancer”, Dr. Lloyd Smith and colleagues reported that women with ovarian cancer experienced symptoms like abdominal pain and swelling before they were diagnosed more often than women with breast cancer or women who were cancer free.

Abdominal pain

While, abdominal pain is something that almost everyone will experience at some time, it can occasionally be the first symptom of ovarian cancer. In a study conducted between 2000 and 2007, reported in “British Medical Journal”, Dr. William Hamilton and colleagues reported that over half of women diagnosed with ovarian cancer had abdominal pain in the months before their diagnosis.

Abdominal distention or bloating

Abdominal distention (swelling of your abdomen) is often caused by something relatively minor like over-eating.  Rarely, it can be an early sign of something more sinister like ovarian cancer. In the Hamilton study, about one-third of women with ovarian cancer reported having abdominal distention before they were diagnosed. If you have both abdominal distention and loss of appetite, the risk of this being caused by ovarian cancer is higher. 

Diarrhea

The most common cause of diarrhea is a viral infection which is usually mild and resolves quickly. However, just like the symptoms listed above, diarrhea can rarely be an early symptom of ovarian cancer.

Weight loss

Most women wouldn’t mind losing a little weight. However, when it occurs unintentionally (not because you are dieting or exercising more), it is concerning for things like cancer. Almost any type of cancer, including ovarian cancer, is sometimes a cause of unintentional weight loss. 

Other symptoms

Other digestive symptoms you can experience with ovarian cancer include difficulty eating, feeling full quickly, constipation, and loss of appetite. Like the symptoms listed above, these are rarely caused by ovarian cancer and are experienced at times by many women. You should become concerned if they persist for months, get worse, or occur with other digestive symptoms. If you are 70 years of age or older, you are already at higher risk for ovarian cancer, so new digestive symptoms should be reported to your doctor.

Resources:

American Cancer Society - Ovarian Cancer Symptoms May Begin Before Diagnosis

American Cancer Society - Early Ovarian Cancer Symptoms

American Cancer Society - Specific Symptoms of Ovarian Cancer

References:

• "British Medical Journal"; Ovarian Cancer; William Hamilton and Usha Menon; January 2010
• "British Medical Journal", Risk of Ovarian Cancer in Women with Symptoms in Primary Care: Population Based Case-Control Study; William Hamilton, Tim J Peters, Clare Bankhead, Deborah Sharp; 200.
• "Cancer"; Ovarian Cancer: Can We Make the Clinical Diagnosis Earlier?; Lloyd Smith, Cyllene Morris, Shagufta Yasmeen, Arti Parikh-Patel, Rosemary Cress, Patrick Romano;2005