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The cancer of the ovary stands to the fifth rank of the feminine cancers in France, with 4 000 new cases per year. But its prognosis remained very dark because it is very often discovered to a belated stage. Panorama of an unrecognized illness.The cancer of the ovaries is relatively little frequent. Again too often discovered to a belated stage, this cancer is difficult to treat. A cancer relatively little frequentThe cancer of the ovary is relatively rare. it concerns about a woman on 70. It is the 5th feminine cancer after those of the breast, the colon, the uterus and the stomach. Currently, close to 4 000 new cases per year are diagnosed per year in France. In comparison, close to 50 000 cases of breast cancers are diagnosed every year at the Frenchwomen. In most cases, this cancer concerns the women of more than 45 years. it especially appears between 60 and 70 years. Three main shapes of cancer of the ovary exist. The cancer epithelial forms itself in the cells of the epithelium, the envelope that covers the ovaries,: it usually touches the women of more than 50 years, it is the most frequent (90% of the cases) and most murderous of the cancers of the ovary. The tumors of the germ-cells start, them, for their part, in the cells producers of ovums and affect the young women especially. The tumors of the cells stromales develop themselves in the cells of the connective tissues that bind and sustain the different elements of the ovary. Them of meet mainly at the more of 50 years. Discovered belated of the cancer of the ovaryThe cancer of the ovary doesn't appear by specific precocious symptoms so that the diagnosis is often carried to an advanced stage. To the stage 1, the cancer is limited to one or the two ovaries without attack of other organs; To the stage 2, the cancer reached other organs near of the ovary inside the basin (uterus, horns of Fallope...); To the stage 3, the cancer spread to other places of the abdomen or to the lymph nodes; To the stage 4, it propagated itself in the liver or outside of the abdomen. The stages 3 and 4 are the shapes advanced of the cancers of the ovary. In 70% of the cases, the cancer of the ovaries is detected to an advanced stage, often to the stage 3. The cancer of the ovary evolves the most often without awakening the attention. The specialists estimate that a tumor can reach a size of 10 cm and provoke not any symptoms. Sometimes, the illness is discovered in a fortuitous way, on the occasion of a routine gynecological exam or at the time of complementary exams in search of other affections. A recent survey showed however that 43% of the women reached by a cancer of the ovary had had a combination of three precocious symptoms: increase of the abdominal volume, distending, urinary signs. A dark prognosisAs it is tracked down late, the cancer of the ovary has a dark enough prognosis. Every year, 3 500 Frenchwomen die some. The rate of survival of the cancers of the ovary is from a few more of 30% to 5 years, whereas for the breast cancer, it is of about 75% to 5 years. Yet, when the diagnosis is precocious whereas the tumor and limited to one or two ovaries, the odds of recovery are from 90% to 5 years. Only problem: precise test doesn't exist again to detect the ovarian cancer to a precocious stage, contrary to what happens in the cases of breast cancer or the uterus. For the meantime, the only condition of a precocious diagnosis is a very regular follow-up by a gynecologist. Especially, don't hesitate to consult before the intervening of unusual symptoms - capable to be normal or bound to quantity of other illnesses - that persist more than three weeks: abdominal pains, distending, difficulties to eat, nauseas, change in the stools, frequent or urgent needs to urinate, fatigue, unexplained weight loss... 2009-02-16
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