What are the symptoms of ovarian cancer

What are the symptoms of ovarian cancer?

Common symptoms of ovarian cancer:

① Lower abdominal discomfort or pelvic dislocation, which may be accompanied by gastrointestinal symptoms such as loss of appetite, nausea, stomach discomfort, etc.

② Abdominal distension. Ovarian cancer may cause ascites even in the early clinical stages, or the tumor may grow beyond the pelvic cavity and a lump may be felt in the abdomen.

③ Pain: Ovarian malignant tumors rarely cause pain. However, if the tumor ruptures, bleeds, and/or becomes infected, or infiltrates and compresses adjacent organs, it may cause abdominal pain, back pain, etc.

④ Due to the rapid growth of the tumor, malnutrition and physical exhaustion, patients will experience anemia, weight loss and signs of malignant fluid, which are usually late symptoms of ovarian malignancy.

⑤ Symptoms caused by metastasis: such as dry cough, hemoptysis, pleural effusion and dyspnea caused by lung metastasis. Bone metastasis can cause severe pain in the metastatic site, with obvious local tenderness. Intestinal metastasis may cause deformed stool and blood in the stool, and in severe cases, death due to irreversible intestinal obstruction.

⑥ Compression syndrome: Ascites and lumps can cause compression symptoms in addition to abdominal distension, such as diaphragmatic elevation, which can cause dyspnea, inability to lie flat, and palpitations. Increased intra-abdominal pressure affects venous return in the lower limbs, which can cause edema of the abdominal wall and lower limbs; tumor compression of the bladder and rectum can cause dysuria, anal swelling, and changes in stool.

⑦ Menstrual disorders and endocrine symptoms: The tumor stroma produces hormones or the tumor destroys both ovaries, which can lead to menstrual disorders or vaginal bleeding. Functional ovarian malignancies such as granulosa cell tumors can produce too much estrogen and cause precocious puberty. Testicular blastomas produce too much androgen, leading to masculinization, and clinically irregular vaginal bleeding or postmenopausal vaginal bleeding will occur. In addition to being related to ovarian malignancies themselves, vaginal bleeding is often accompanied by endometrial lesions, such as endometrial hyperplasia or endometrial cancer.