Ascites in ovarian cancer - what to do? This is a fairly common question, the answer to which we will try to give in our article.
The fact is that in medicine every year more and more cases of ovarian cancer are recorded. This is an oncological pathology caused by mutation and multiplication of pathogenic cells, leading to the appearance of neoplasms.
Risk group
The age of women at risk for this disease is older than 45 years. Basically, menopausal women fall into the ranks of patients. The peak incidence is 65 years or older.
The initial stages of this disease go, as a rule, without pronounced symptoms. And most often, women who have problems with the genitals do not pay attention to the first signs of ovarian cancer, attributing them to existing diseases. Therefore, in most cases, it is diagnosed in the late stages, when metastasized cells are already spreading to adjacent organs.
Often, specialists also have to deal with ascites in stage 3 ovarian cancer. How many such patients live, we will tell further.
Developmental stages
The stage assigned to ovarian cancer directly depends on how much the disease has spread at the time of diagnosis, on the symptoms and the course of the disease. Modern medicine distinguishes four stages:
- Cancer is limited to one or both ovaries without going beyond them. Due to the absence of symptoms as such, this stage is almost impossible to identify.
- The second stage affects, in addition to the ovaries, the uterus and the uterine ducts, the bladder, the sigmoid colon. At this stage, characteristic symptoms appear in the form of pulling pains in the pelvis.
- Stage 3 ovarian cancer is characterized by organ damage outside the pelvis. Metastases enter the lymph nodes and liver. At this stage, ovarian cancer is diagnosed in 70 percent of cases. Often it is also complicated. Then specialists have to answer questions about how long they live with stage 3 ovarian cancer and ascites, for example.
- At the 4th stage, all organs of a woman can be affected without exception. But most often it is the liver and lungs. Pleural fluid accumulates in the lung area. This stage is accompanied by severe, ongoing abdominal pain.
Further we will consider in more detail
Causes
Before we find out how many live with ascites in stage 3 ovarian cancer, you will need to understand the causes of ovarian cancer. Modern medicine cannot accurately answer this question. Scientists agree that this disease has a hereditary nature, since there are many confirmed cases of its detection in both mother and daughter. In general, doctors can only suggest possible causes:
- Inflammatory processes of a chronic order.
- Disorders in the hormonal background, namely an increase in the number of androgens, ovarian dysfunction.
- Inability to conceive a child (infertility).
- Decreased body immunity.
- Maintaining irregular sex life.
- Venereal diseases.
- Abortion.
- Breast cancer (with this disease, the risk of developing pathology in the ovaries is 2 times higher).
- Obesity.
- Violation of diet, bad habits (smoking and alcohol).
- Exposure to radiation.
And how does stage 3 ovarian cancer manifest itself? Let's figure it out.
Symptoms
In the first stage, as already mentioned, ovarian cancer is asymptomatic. Painful sensations in the pelvic region occur at later stages, characterizing the onset of metastasis.
A sign characteristic of any cancer is unreasonable, rapid weight loss. At the same time, visual enlargement of the abdomen is characteristic of ovarian cancer. This means an increase in the neoplasm, as well as an accumulation of fluid in the abdominal cavity (ascites). Sometimes a tumor is accompanied by digestive disorders, bowel obstruction, etc.
Diagnosis of cancer in the early stages occurs randomly, as a result of identifying other diseases. And so as not to have to find out from the doctor how much they live with ascites in stage 3 and 4 ovarian cancer, you need to pay attention to the symptoms warning about the development of pathology:
- irregular menstruation;
- Symptoms of anemia - fatigue, general weakness, pallor of the skin;
- soreness in the lower abdomen;
- violation of the digestive and urinary functions;
- uterine bleeding that is not related to menstruation;
- not single miscarriages;
- pain in the lumbar region, which is not relieved by analgesics;
- causeless increase in body temperature;
- unreasonable decrease in blood pressure.
A woman should carefully monitor her health and, in the presence of the above symptoms, undergo an examination. The timely detection of pathology will not allow it to develop into stage 3 ovarian cancer and ascites (how much live with this pathology, we will consider below) and metastasize to other organs.
Ascites
Ovarian cancer in every third sick woman is accompanied by so-called ascites. This phenomenon is especially common at the 3rd stage. Ascites is an accumulation of fluid in the ovary, dropsy. Often it becomes the cause of metastasis in the abdominal region. It can be detected by biopsy.
The danger of ascites is that dropsy can burst, and the liquid, once in the pelvic region, will cause inflammation and cell necrosis. Death with this option in 60% of cases.
Ascites in ovarian cancer at 3 stages (how much live, we explain) provokes an increase in the abdomen, swelling of the legs, vein clamping and thrombosis. It causes pain in the lower abdomen, heaviness, shortness of breath, flatulence, etc. When this complication is detected, diuretic therapy is prescribed to normalize the water-salt balance in the body. Otherwise, the excess fluid is pumped out by taking a puncture. In some cases, the fight against ascites is carried out by applying chemotherapy.
However, if the ascites does not exceed a certain size, they are not removed, since it does not interfere with the life of the woman and passes after chemotherapy.
Disease detection
Diagnosis of this disease is difficult and only 20% of cases are determined in a timely manner. This is due to the latent course of the disease (without pronounced symptoms).
The most relevant and promising method for early diagnosis of ovarian cancer is a tumor marker study (for this type of disease - CA 125). In 80% of patients with ovarian cancer, this particular tumor marker is increased. However, at an early stage this indicator practically does not exceed the norm, and therefore, unfortunately, patients have to find out how much live with stage 3 ovarian cancer.
Ultrasound examination will help to accurately determine the size of the neoplasm, to localize the disease and to determine the degree of prevalence. The undoubted advantage of this type of study is the repeated safe procedure for the patient. However, if a woman is overweight, diagnosis by this method can be difficult.
Using contrast computed tomography, you can more specifically understand the extent of metastasis in other organs. Magnetic resonance imaging allows you to get a three-dimensional image of the tumor. This study is painless.
Obtaining biological material (biopsy) is also a common diagnostic option. The taken material is examined, as a rule, during the operation to remove the tumor. Laparoscopy is also one of the laboratory studies aimed at identifying neoplasms.
Ovarian Cancer Treatment
Therapy is prescribed by the attending physician based on data on the health of the woman. Of primary importance here is what size the tumor is, and where exactly it is located. Today, in the treatment of advanced stage ovarian cancer, 2 main methods are used:
- surgery to remove the ovary with a tumor;
- chemotherapy.
How many live with stage 3 ovarian cancer?
Obviously, the main issue of interest to patients with confirmed ovarian cancer is the prognosis for recovery and further quality of life. When identifying a disease in the early stages, the prognosis is most favorable. In this case, recovery occurs in 95% of cases.
The life expectancy of patients with the third stage of ovarian cancer is determined by the general state of health of the body as a whole, the correctness of the treatment chosen and, naturally, the competence of the attending physician. Approximately 11% of patients with stage 3 ovarian cancer have a chance to live more than 5 years. With stage 4 and the growth of ascites, the prognosis is even more disappointing - up to 5%.
An important point in the fight against cancer is the strict implementation of all the doctor's recommendations, which significantly increases the chance of recovery and a return to the usual way of life.
That's all the information about the causes, symptoms, treatment of ovarian cancer.