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Section: health-and-wellness, gender

Dear Ann Landers,
I feel compelled to respond to the letter from "M.J. in Sarasota," who decided to have a hysterectomy to make absolutely certain she would never get ovarian cancer. She still needs to be careful. I was diagnosed with fibroid tumors in 1988. Even though there was no family history of ovarian cancer, I decided not to take any chances and had a complete hysterectomy. Eight years later, I was shocked to discover I had Stage III ovarian cancer. Many women do not realize that malignant cells in the ovaries can spread through the surrounding tissue. Even if the ovaries are removed, ovarian cancer can still develop elsewhere. It is important to continue watching for signs of the disease. I am enclosing a list of the symptoms of ovarian cancer, and I hope you will print it for all the women in your reading audience. -- Shirley in Orlando, Fla.

Dear Shirley,
Thank you for educating my readers today. According to the Ovarian Cancer National Alliance, a national education and advocacy organization, ovarian cancers occur in one out of 55 women at any age. Most women are diagnosed when the chance for survival for five years is about 20 percent. Early detection improves survival rates. Symptoms are subtle at first but become more persistent and identifiable as time goes on. Any woman who experiences the following symptoms for more than two or three weeks should see her doctor and ask for a combination pelvic/rectal exam, a CA-125 blood test and a transvaginal sonogram: -- Bloating, a feeling of fullness or gas. -- Frequent or urgent urination. -- Nausea, indigestion, constipation or diarrhea. -- Menstrual disorders or pain during intercourse. -- Fatigue or backaches. For more information on ovarian cancer, contact www.ovariancancer.org orwww.ovarian.org.

November 30, 2014 - 25 comments

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Comments:

Patti Castro's Comment

Thank you for the article. I am 74 years old. I am so far blessed not to have Cancer symptoms. How long I live is strictly up to God.

Reader Comment

My daughter in law died of ovarian cancer approximately 2 years after it was diagnosed. She was only 43 years old. My only son and she were married just before the diagnosis was made. He has never gotten over it and has affected his life in horribly and he and I have distanced our lives; we no longer speak to each other. This was such a terrible point in his (and my) life. Now with Covid 19 affecting our lives, this has been all too devastating for both of us. I see no way of getting beyond this anymore.

Barbara's Comment

I had ovarian cancer at age 32. It was caught very early because, as a teen, I had a premonition that I'd someday develop cancer in my reproductive organs. That premonition convinced me to have a gynecological check-up every six months from then on instead of annually. This decision saved my life. At one check-up soon after I turned 32, everything was fine. Six months later, when the doctor palpated my abdomen, he felt a growth the size of a four-month-old fetus. I underwent surgery that removed the malignant cyst but left everything else intact. No chemo or radiation treatments, although a gynecological oncologist I started seeing as a precaution a few years after the surgery told me he would have recommended one or both types of treatments had he been the surgeon who removed my malignant cyst. I've had no recurrence since the surgery. I can't recommend strongly enough that every woman, starting at a young age, be examined by a gynecologist EVERY SIX MONTHS instead of once a year. This way, an wELY malignancy can be stopped in its tracks before spreading through her body.

Barbara's Comment

Barbara's Comment, a P.S.: The error in the last line of my post should read: This way, an early malignancy can be stopped in its tracks before spreading through her body. P.P.S. I should have mentioned that I'm now almost 74, so I've been around for 42 years since my cancer diagnosis.

Barbara's Comment

I had ovarian cancer at age 32. It was caught very early because, as a teen, I had a premonition that I'd someday develop cancer in my reproductive organs. That premonition convinced me to have a gynecological check-up every six months from then on instead of annually. This decision saved my life. At one check-up soon after I turned 32, everything was fine. Six months later, when the doctor palpated my abdomen, he felt a growth the size of a four-month-old fetus. I underwent surgery that removed the malignant cyst but left everything else intact. No chemo or radiation treatments, although a gynecological oncologist I started seeing as a precaution a few years after the surgery told me he would have recommended one or both types of treatments had he been the surgeon who removed my malignant cyst. I've had no recurrence since the surgery. I can't recommend strongly enough that every woman, starting at a young age, be examined by a gynecologist EVERY SIX MONTHS instead of once a year. This way, an early malignancy can be stopped in its tracks before spreading through her body.Barbara's Comment, a P.S.: The error in the last line of my post should read: This way, an early malignancy can be stopped in its tracks before spreading through her body. P.P.S. I should have mentioned that I'm now almost 74, so I've been around for 42 years since my cancer diagnosis.