The entertainment industry was recently shaken by the death of beloved actor-singer Adibah Noor, who passed away at age 51 from stage-4 ovarian cancer.

Ovarian cancer is known as a silent killer. The presenting symptoms are usually vague, and are often mistaken and frequently ignored as gastrointestinal problems such as constipation, indigestion, irritable bowel, or gastritis. It is also often misdiagnosed as depression.

Here are some ways to recognise these symptoms and prevent misdiagnosis and late detection.

Understanding this deadly disease

In Malaysia, ovarian cancer is ranked as the fourth most common cancer among women, with approximately 500 women being diagnosed every year.

The female reproductive system contains two ovaries, one on each side of the uterus. The almond-sized ovaries are an important organ that store eggs (ova) for reproduction and produce female sex hormones, oestrogen and progesterone.

Cancer occurs when cells form and grow out of control in the ovaries. These quickly multiply, infiltrate, and attack healthy human tissues.

The two main risk factors for ovarian cancer are advanced age, with the highest incidence of cancer being in those 65-69 years old; and family history – if you have a direct family member or relative who has had cancer, there is an increased risk due to the inheritance of faulty mutations in the BRCA1 or BRCA2 genes.

Other risk factors include being obese or overweight; taking postmenopausal hormone-replacement therapy; having endometriosis; never having been pregnant; and beginning menstruation at an early age, or starting menopause at a later age.

There are three forms of ovarian cancer, which are determined by the type of cell:

• epithelial cancer, the most common form that develops in the epithelial tissue, a thin lining that covers the outside of an ovary;
• stromal tumours, which are typically discovered at an earlier stage – these are rare, representing only about 1% of ovarian cancers; and
• germ cell tumours (also rare), which typically occur in teenage girls or young women, and most often affect just one ova.

The four stages of ovarian cancer are as follows:

Unfortunately, unlike for cervical and breast cancer, there is no effective and reliable screening test for early detection of ovarian cancer. The majority of cases (>80%) are already in stage 3 or above when detected.

Most of the time, symptoms experienced in the early stages are misdiagnosed. Other times, they are altogether ignored by women as the symptoms are subtle and non-specific.

Studies have shown ovarian cancer can be identified by these symptoms:

These are usually present for more than 12 days in a month and for less than a year. A simple way to remember them is using the “BEAT” mnemonic:

Consult your family doctor or gynaecologist if you suspect or are worried you might have ovarian cancer. Tests that will be done include a pelvic examination, transvaginal ultrasound, computed tomography scan, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), and a positron emission tomography (PET) scan.

Early detection is critical as survival rates decrease with the advanced stages of cancer. Treatment includes surgery, chemotherapy, radiation, or a combination of these, depending on the stage and severity of your disease.

Factors such as the type of cancer and how advanced it is, your age, and your overall health will determine the outcome of an ovarian cancer diagnosis.

This article was written by DOC2US, a mobile application that allows you to talk to a doctor or any healthcare professionals via text chat at any time and from anywhere.