Stages of Ovarian Cancer and How Ovarian Cancer is Diagnosed
Stages of Ovarian Cancer
If your doctor makes a diagnosis of ovarian cancer, he or she will categorize it as one of 4 stages of the disease. Stage I is the earliest stage in which only the ovaries are involved. About twothirds of Stage I patients can look forward to a cure. In Stage II, the cancer will have spread from an ovary to other parts of the pelvis. As with most cancers, as the disease begins to spread, survival rates decrease. About half of those diagnosed with Stage II ovarian cancer will survive after treatment.
The majority of cases are diagnosed at Stage III, at which point the disease involves the lymph nodes and/or other parts of the abdomen. About 13 percent of patients diagnosed with Stage III cancer are cured. The most advanced form is Stage IV which has a very low survival rate—only about 5 percent of those diagnosed with Stage IV ovarian cancer will survive for five years. The overall fiveyear survival of all patients with ovarian cancer, regardless of stage, is about 30 percent.
If your doctor feels a mass that might indicate an enlarged ovary, he or she will usually send you for an ultrasound (sonogram) of the pelvic area. This is a painless diagnostic test that allows your doctor to see your internal reproductive organs by bouncing sound waves off of them. It is usually performed in the doctor's office. Generally, if a mass is small, and only one ovary is involved, the chances are very good that it is benign (noncancerous). It may still require treatment, but at least you will know it's not cancer.
A blood test called the CA125 assay can also provide useful diagnostic information, especially in postmenopausal women. This test also measures a substance that can be associated with ovarian tumors. A higher level of this substance than is normal, coupled with an ultrasound that shows a significant mass, can lead your doctor to suggest that further exploration is needed.
However, like many tests, the CA125 assay can produce a false positive result, predicting that a cancer is present, when, in fact, the mass is benign.
If the ultrasound and blood tests suggest that a mass might be cancerous, your doctor will recommend a laparotomy (surgery done through the abdomen), in order to make a clear diagnosis.
If your doctor makes a diagnosis of ovarian cancer, he or she will categorize it as one of 4 stages of the disease. Stage I is the earliest stage in which only the ovaries are involved. About twothirds of Stage I patients can look forward to a cure. In Stage II, the cancer will have spread from an ovary to other parts of the pelvis. As with most cancers, as the disease begins to spread, survival rates decrease. About half of those diagnosed with Stage II ovarian cancer will survive after treatment.
The majority of cases are diagnosed at Stage III, at which point the disease involves the lymph nodes and/or other parts of the abdomen. About 13 percent of patients diagnosed with Stage III cancer are cured. The most advanced form is Stage IV which has a very low survival rate—only about 5 percent of those diagnosed with Stage IV ovarian cancer will survive for five years. The overall fiveyear survival of all patients with ovarian cancer, regardless of stage, is about 30 percent.
If your doctor feels a mass that might indicate an enlarged ovary, he or she will usually send you for an ultrasound (sonogram) of the pelvic area. This is a painless diagnostic test that allows your doctor to see your internal reproductive organs by bouncing sound waves off of them. It is usually performed in the doctor's office. Generally, if a mass is small, and only one ovary is involved, the chances are very good that it is benign (noncancerous). It may still require treatment, but at least you will know it's not cancer.
A blood test called the CA125 assay can also provide useful diagnostic information, especially in postmenopausal women. This test also measures a substance that can be associated with ovarian tumors. A higher level of this substance than is normal, coupled with an ultrasound that shows a significant mass, can lead your doctor to suggest that further exploration is needed.
However, like many tests, the CA125 assay can produce a false positive result, predicting that a cancer is present, when, in fact, the mass is benign.
If the ultrasound and blood tests suggest that a mass might be cancerous, your doctor will recommend a laparotomy (surgery done through the abdomen), in order to make a clear diagnosis.
