Women with no babies at high risk of ovarian cancer

An Oncologist at Gaborone Private Hospital (GPH) Dr Sebathu Chiyapo is calling on women to be more aware of the symptoms of ovarian cancer; one of the deadliest gynecological cancers which kill many women every year. “Ovarian cancer is often diagnosed too late,” Dr Chiyapo said in an interview.”It’s important for women to know their risk of contracting this deadly disease, and its earliest warning signs,” he added. Ovarian cancer accounts for about 3 percent of all cancers among women but causes more deaths than any other cancer involving the female reproductive system, the World Health Organisation (WHO) reports.

According to Dr Chiyapo, all women are at risk of ovarian cancer, and one in 75 will develop the disease. More than 250, 000 women worldwide are diagnosed with ovarian cancer every year, and 140,000 die from it.

Factors associated with the risk for ovarian cancer include certain gene mutations, endometriosis, obesity, and early onset of periods or late menopause, not having children and using fertility medication. Women who have had breast cancer or certain other types of cancer and women over age 70 have higher odds of developing the disease. Also dubbed the ‘silent killer,’ early symptoms of ovarian cancer are mild and easy to ignore, according to Dr Chiyapo.

They include bloating, indigestion, nausea, pain in the abdomen and back, feeling full quickly, frequent urination, weight gain and shortness of breath. Women who have these symptoms for more than a week should consult a doctor, he suggested. “While these symptoms are common and may be caused by something other than ovarian cancer, I advise women to take them seriously,” Dr Chiyapo said. “A woman knows what is normal for her own body. If her symptoms don’t seem normal and last for two weeks or longer, she should bring them to her doctor’s attention”.

Ovarian cancer is highly treatable if detected early. If the cancer is just in the ovary (stage 1), the average five-year survival rate is 90 percent. However, the odds of survival are much lower if the cancer is more advanced, Dr Chiyapo explained. He said several factors can reduce a woman’s risk, including: following a healthy, low-fat diet; having many children; using birth control; and having tubal ligation surgery.

He noted that some women at high risk have their ovaries and fallopian tubes removed as a precaution. For example, in 2015 actress Angelina Jolie disclosed that she had her ovaries and fallopian tubes removed because she had a significantly increased risk of ovarian cancer due to the BRCA1 gene mutation.