Epithelial Ovarian Cancer
Ovarian cancer can develop from the epithelial cells surrounding the ovary, the germ cells, or stromal cells within it. Epithelial ovarian carcinomas account for 85-90% of ovarian cancers, and will be the focus of this essay.
Most symptoms of epithelial ovarian cancer are due to the fact that it often spreads to the lining of and organs in the abdominal cavity. These symptoms include bloating, pelvic or abdominal pain, urinary urgency or frequency, and trouble eating associated with feeling of fullness. These can be common symptoms of other diseases and cancers but are persistent or worsened from normal when associated with ovarian cancer.
The first step in diagnosing ovarian cancer can be done with a physical exam to look for enlargement of …show more content…
The surgeries normally involve a hysterectomy, removal of the uterus, ovaries, fallopian tubes, as well as lymph nodes in the pelvis, and the omentum, a portion of the peritoneum in the abdominal cavity. In younger women caught at an early stage, it is not always necessary to remove both ovaries and the uterus. The goal of surgery is to optimally debulk, which means to leave no tumor larger than 1 cm. In epithelial ovarian cancers this may require removal of parts of neighboring organs like the colon or …show more content…
The medications used are often platinum compounds, which are attracted to nucleophillic regions of DNA, binding to them and preventing cell growth. Another often-used treatment in epithelial ovarian cancers is intraperitoneal chemotherapy. This involves the injection of chemo drugs directly into the abdomen. It comes with worsened side effects, but so far has shown to increase the life expectancy of patients.
Targeted therapies in the form of poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase inhibitors, which use mutations of DNA repair processes in the BRCA gene, and angiogenesis inhibitors have been attempted in ovarian cancer patients. While these treatments proved to shrink tumors or slow their growth, they didn’t affect the lifespan of patients. Hormone therapies, while used for other types of ovarian cancers, are rarely used for epithelial since it only surrounds the ovary and isn’t directly involved in reproductive processes. Radiation therapies are also rarely used in ovarian
Most symptoms of epithelial ovarian cancer are due to the fact that it often spreads to the lining of and organs in the abdominal cavity. These symptoms include bloating, pelvic or abdominal pain, urinary urgency or frequency, and trouble eating associated with feeling of fullness. These can be common symptoms of other diseases and cancers but are persistent or worsened from normal when associated with ovarian cancer.
The first step in diagnosing ovarian cancer can be done with a physical exam to look for enlargement of …show more content…
The surgeries normally involve a hysterectomy, removal of the uterus, ovaries, fallopian tubes, as well as lymph nodes in the pelvis, and the omentum, a portion of the peritoneum in the abdominal cavity. In younger women caught at an early stage, it is not always necessary to remove both ovaries and the uterus. The goal of surgery is to optimally debulk, which means to leave no tumor larger than 1 cm. In epithelial ovarian cancers this may require removal of parts of neighboring organs like the colon or …show more content…
The medications used are often platinum compounds, which are attracted to nucleophillic regions of DNA, binding to them and preventing cell growth. Another often-used treatment in epithelial ovarian cancers is intraperitoneal chemotherapy. This involves the injection of chemo drugs directly into the abdomen. It comes with worsened side effects, but so far has shown to increase the life expectancy of patients.
Targeted therapies in the form of poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase inhibitors, which use mutations of DNA repair processes in the BRCA gene, and angiogenesis inhibitors have been attempted in ovarian cancer patients. While these treatments proved to shrink tumors or slow their growth, they didn’t affect the lifespan of patients. Hormone therapies, while used for other types of ovarian cancers, are rarely used for epithelial since it only surrounds the ovary and isn’t directly involved in reproductive processes. Radiation therapies are also rarely used in ovarian