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Ovarian Cancer Ovarian cancer accounts for nearly 4% of all cancers among women and ranks second among the gynecological cancers. According to the American Cancer Society, there will be an estimated 22,220 new cases of ovarian cancer in the United States in 2005. An estimated 16,210 deaths are expected in 2005. Ovarian cancer causes more deaths than any other cancer of the female reproductive system. Early determination of how far the ovarian cancer has spread is key to selecting the most appropriate treatment. PET scanning can help. DiagnosisOnly a small number of ovarian cancers are found at an early stage because early cancers of the ovary often have no symptoms. Tumors are hard for even skilled doctors to find and tumors on the ovary cannot usually be found through the Pap test. While new blood tests may change this in the future, right now, ovarian cancer is difficult to find at its earliest stage. PET scanning can help by evaluating the primary tumor and determining the stage of the cancer immediately after it is found so that the most appropriate therapy can be given. A PET scan can show where tumor cells are growing, which helps your doctor determine the best course of treatment. Top of this Page | Back to Cancer Information TreatmentYour physician will schedule you for routine follow-up visits and depending on the type of the cancer, may use blood tests to help watch for a possible recurrence. Your doctors may also order follow up imaging tests or surgeries. If the cancer does return, it is important that additional treatment begin immediately. This is also where PET can help. PET is the most useful test that you can have when doctors are staging or re-staging your cancer because it can be more accurate than CT or other tests. Top of this Page | Back to Cancer Information Follow-UpImaging with PET is also critical in order to look for the return of the cancer. Before PET was available, it was difficult to see if the cancer had come back. Earlier imaging tests were unable to detect cancer as sensitively as PET can now, resulting in the delay of further treatment. Blood tests that indicate that a tumor may be growing still do not tell doctors "where". PET can be used to image tumor response to therapy and to detect recurrence in treated lesions. In some cases, a mass may develop or remain after treatment. The mass itself may be seen on CT scan, but CT cannot determine if the tumor is still growing. For post surgery and other treatments, PET is extremely important for monitoring to see if the cancer cells have returned and if treatment should be re-started. Top of this Page | Back to Cancer Information Case Study
Top of this Page | Back to Cancer Information More InformationFind the support you need:The stress of illness can often be helped by joining a support group where members share common experiences and problems. Support programs exist in a variety of formats, including counseling, support groups, and self-help programs. For those who cannot attend meetings, there are also on-line mechanisms that may allow a patient to "chat" with other people facing similar situations. These types of programs can provide a way for you to relate your experience firsthand with others and may provide treatment-related tips about drug side-effects that will be helpful to you. Online Resources: |
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