Ovarian cancer examination and diagnosis

Ovarian cancer is usually diagnosed late, and most (about 70% or more) patients who are diagnosed at the first time have metastases in the pelvis and abdomen. The current comprehensive treatments such as surgery, radiotherapy, chemotherapy, immunotherapy and traditional Chinese medicine are still poorly effective for patients in the middle and late stages, and recurrence is difficult to avoid. The prognosis of ovarian cancer patients who are diagnosed and treated in the early stages is very different. Taking ovarian cancer as an example, according to statistics, the 5-year survival rate is 80% for stage I, 40% for stage II, and less than 5% for stages III and IV. Early detection and early diagnosis and treatment are very important for ovarian cancer patients.

In order to enhance awareness of ovarian cancer prevention, the symptoms and diagnosis of ovarian cancer are now introduced to everyone. As follows:

1. Menstrual changes

About half of ovarian cancer patients have irregular menstruation and irregular vaginal bleeding. Clinically, ovarian dysfunction is also found, such as delayed menarche, early menopause, dysmenorrhea, etc. Single, infertile or people with a family history of ovarian cancer are prone to this disease.

2. Gastrointestinal discomfort

The first symptoms of early patients are often manifested in the gastrointestinal tract. Almost all patients seek medical attention due to abdominal distension, poor appetite, decreased diet or obvious weight loss. If ascites occurs, abdominal distension will be more obvious and abdominal pain may also occur.

3. Age of onset

Ovarian cancer can occur at any age, with a high incidence between 40 and 70 years old. It is most common in middle-aged women around 50 years old and before and after menopause, but it can also occur in girls under 20 years old. In old age, women's ovaries gradually shrink and become smaller. If ovaries or masses can still be felt during gynecological examination, this disease should be highly suspected. In prepubertal children and girls, the ovaries are not yet mature, and anal examination often cannot feel the ovaries. If enlarged ovaries can be felt or adnexal masses are found during B-ultrasound, this disease should be suspected.

4. Abdominal mass

Most patients accidentally feel a mass in the lower abdomen when they wake up in the morning with a full bladder. If the mass grows rapidly or ascites appears, the disease should be highly suspected. However, when the mass is small (less than or equal to 7 cm), it is often difficult to feel it yourself and must be found through B-ultrasound examination. It should be understood that ovarian cancer tumors can also be less than or equal to 5 cm. Regular gynecological cancer prevention examinations are indeed necessary. If an ovarian tumor of about 5 cm is found, regular follow-up and close observation are required.

Since the early symptoms of ovarian cancer are not obvious, many women are already in the middle or late stages when they are diagnosed with ovarian cancer, which increases the difficulty of treatment. Moreover, the possibility of cure for patients with advanced ovarian cancer is extremely small. Since the early symptoms of ovarian cancer are not obvious, early diagnosis depends on regular screening. It is recommended that female friends go to the hospital for diagnosis regularly. So, how to check ovarian cancer clinically? The following is a detailed introduction:

First, the doctor will check the medical history. Generally, the doctor will specifically ask whether there is a history of pelvic masses in the past or the growth of the masses recently. However, women over 40 years old with gastrointestinal symptoms and unexplained should undergo a gynecological examination.

Then, a systemic examination was performed, which revealed an abdominal mass and positive ascites signs.

Generally, women should undergo gynecological examinations. However, for ovarian cancer, the examination is to check for parauterine masses, which may be solid or cystic, irregular, with poor mobility, and often bilateral. Triple examinations can reveal posterior fornix nodules or masses.

Some auxiliary examinations are also needed to confirm the diagnosis, such as B-ultrasound examination, which can understand the size of the pelvic mass, cysticity, benign or malignant, and the presence of ascites cytology examination. Ovarian cancer can be examined by abdominal puncture to obtain ascites for tumor cells. There are also advanced immunological diagnosis, and the use of monoclonal antibodies and polyclonal antibodies such as CA125 for ovarian epithelial cancer can help early diagnosis. Laparoscopy or laparotomy is a commonly used method for clinical examination of ovarian cancer, which can directly observe the nature and range of pelvic lesions and perform biopsies.