5 typical symptoms of ovarian cancer

Ovarian cancer refers to a malignant tumor that occurs in the ovaries and ovarian stroma. It can occur in women of any age, but is most common in menopausal women. There are no typical symptoms in the early stages of the disease, so most patients are diagnosed in the late stages, missing the best time for treatment and having a poor prognosis. Therefore, female friends should be vigilant, cherish themselves, and seek medical attention in a timely manner if they experience any discomfort.

1. Digestive tract symptoms

Ovarian cancer patients experience digestive tract symptoms such as anorexia, nausea, vomiting, and abdominal distension due to compression or pulling of the surrounding ligaments by the cancer and stimulation of ascites. Patients often go to the gastroenterology department for treatment. If no digestive tract disease is found, patients should be vigilant and go to the gynecology department for treatment.

2. Sex hormone disorder

The pathological types of ovarian cancer are complex and varied. When some tumors secrete too much estrogen, it can cause symptoms such as precocious puberty, menstrual disorders, or postmenopausal vaginal bleeding. If testicular cell cancer occurs in the ovaries, it will produce too much androgen, causing the patient to show signs of masculinization.

3. Abnormal menstruation

Menstrual abnormalities caused by ovarian cancer are mostly oligomenorrhea or amenorrhea. Once menstrual abnormalities occur, it usually indicates that the patient has entered the middle or late stage of ovarian cancer. This is because the menstrual periods of patients with early ovarian cancer are usually unchanged. As the number of cancer cells destroys normal ovarian tissue, it will cause ovarian dysfunction and symptoms of oligomenorrhea or amenorrhea.

4. Dull pain in waist and abdomen

Patients with mid- to late-stage ovarian cancer may experience dull pain in the waist and abdomen because the cancer has infiltrated the surrounding tissues or adhered to the tissues adjacent to the ovaries.

5. Edema of vulva and lower limbs

As the ovarian cancer tumor grows, the pelvic veins are severely compressed, resulting in poor blood flow and obstruction of lymphatic return, causing edema of the patient's vulva and lower limbs.