Aggressively Fighting Ovarian Cancer
During one recent year, over 21,000 American women learned that they had ovarian cancer. For the lucky few, there's a 93% survival rate if their cancer is caught and treated in its earliest stages.

NEW YORK, NY, December 08, 2011 /24-7PressRelease/ -- During one recent year, over 21,000 American women learned that they had ovarian cancer. For the lucky few, there's a 93% survival rate if their cancer is caught and treated in its earliest stages. However, only about 19 % of women are diagnosed early enough to benefit from this advantage.

Detecting ovarian cancer can be complicated since its first symptoms may not appear until it has reached more advanced stages. Fortunately, many New York City residents can stay close to home while obtaining treatment. These women can choose among such highly recommended facilities as Mount Sinai Medical Center, the Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center and New York Hospital-Cornell. Many other leading cancer centers are also located in New York City and elsewhere around the state.

Recognizing Early Symptoms of Ovarian Cancer

As most women know, it's crucial to undergo a comprehensive annual physical in order to stay healthy. That habit alone may help diminish your chances of suddenly discovering you have ovarian cancer, especially if you're always careful to describe all troubling health symptoms with your doctors. All women must stay alert and promptly tell their doctors if they develop one or more of the following medical problems - that may or may not be symptoms of ovarian cancer:
- Urinary urgency or frequency;
- An increase in abdominal size that cannot be easily attributed to other factors;
- Having difficulty eating or often feeling very full after eating only modest amounts;
- Discovering an abdominal mass that can't be readily explained away by you or your doctor during a simple physical examination; and
- Experiencing general pelvic pain, abdominal discomfort or bloating

Since many of these early symptoms can be easily mistaken for other medical issues, it's important to try and discover the root cause of all mysterious, uncomfortable physical symptoms that you may experience.

Risk Factors

It's not uncommon to have one or more of the following traits without having ovarian cancer. (Yet you should still carefully review them.) These traits include:
- Being between the ages of 40 and 65;
- Never having been pregnant;
- Having had an early onset of your period as a young woman or late onset of menopause;
- Having a family history of ovarian, breast or uterine/endometrial cancer; and
- Knowing that someone in your family has suffered from Lynch syndrome - sometimes referred to as a "hereditary nonpoisonous colorectal cancer [HNPCC]."

Remember: There's no reason to panic if any of these traits describe aspects of your life. However, you should ask your doctor if any specific tests must be run, especially if you've already learned that you have a "genetic abnormality [referred to as] a BRCA1 or BRCA2 mutation."

What Few Symptoms May Appear Later on with this Cancer

Distinct nausea, swelling of the abdomen (not due to pregnancy) and a major loss of appetite can individually or collectively indicate that you may be suffering from ovarian cancer, possibly in one of its later stages. Make sure your doctor quickly rules out the presence of any fibroids. Of course, if some of those are discovered, your doctor should immediately schedule the appropriate tests or procedures to make sure they're benign and not malignant.

Types of Tests/Procedures Your Doctor Should Normally Run

Bear in mind that when dealing with any form of cancer, you must undergo a thorough examination. Imaging tests like abdominal CT or MRI scans will usually be ordered. If anything looks suspicious, your physicians will likely recommend some type of exploratory surgery. Should they find a questionable growth on an ovary, the entire ovary will usually be removed. Lab work will then be completed to determine if any part of the removed ovary or surrounding tissue is malignant. Be sure that your doctor discusses all test results with you while your case is being worked up. It's important to remember that having a biopsy of a potentially diseased ovary is usually not recommended since that can actually cause cancer cells to spread.

Once you have all of this information, you should seriously consider getting a second opinion regarding all long-term treatment recommendations. Furthermore, if you do not feel you have a strong relationship with your main oncologist (cancer specialist) -- or if you seriously question many of the treatment recommendations presented to you, go ahead and look around for a new specialist. Sticking with someone just because you are afraid to make a change is often a mistake. A member of a local cancer support group (or someone else you know who's battling cancer) may be able to provide you with some highly reliable doctor referrals.

Helpful Information and Resources for Your Future

Should you find out that you do have ovarian cancer, don't give up since there are many ovarian cancer survivors still alive and highly active. Oscar-nominated actress Kathy Bates is one of them. There are bound to be others right in your own community. Keep in mind that new clinical trials are always being developed, offering ovarian cancer patients the chance to try out promising new drug therapies before they're made available to the rest of the public.

Be sure to ask your doctor about matching services that can help you locate the best clinical trials for your cancer diagnosis. Make it a point to visit the American Cancer Society's website at your earliest convenience. You can not only learn more about different clinical trial programs there, you can also sign up for that group's "WhatNext program" that can link you with another cancer patient who truly knows exactly what you're going through and what you should expect in the near future. Local cancer support groups can also provide you with helpful information and support. Of course, online information is also readily available.

If you or a loved one has experienced medical malpractice from the negligence of a physician you may have a cancer misdiagnosis malpractice case. Rosenberg, Minc, Falkoff & Wolff are top rated New York Personal Injury and medical malpractice lawyers in New York. The results the firm has achieved in medical malpractice litigation, is recognized by the cases referred from other law firms and with cases won.

To Contact The Firm
Rosenberg, Minc, Falkoff & Wolff
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New York, NY 10168
212-697-9280
http://www.medicalmalpractice.net/

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Rosenberg, Minc, Falkoff & Wolff
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