What are the common symptoms of ovarian cancer?

Ovarian cancer is a common gynecological tumor with very high morbidity and mortality, which seriously threatens women's lives. If female friends experience prolonged abdominal distension and abdominal pain, they should go to the hospital for examination to see whether the abdominal pain and abdominal distension are caused by ovarian cancer. The following experts will introduce the common symptoms of ovarian cancer to help you judge ovarian cancer in daily life.

Ovarian cancer is one of the common malignant tumors of the female reproductive organs, and its incidence rate ranks third after cervical cancer and uterine body cancer. In terms of age, different types of ovarian cancer are most likely to affect the following two groups of people: one is women aged 40 to 60 and menopausal women. In terms of disease type, this type of women is more likely to develop ovarian epithelial cancer; the other is young women under the age of 20. This type of women is more likely to develop germ cell tumors.

If a healthy woman experiences repeated digestive symptoms such as abdominal distension, abdominal pain, and loss of appetite, and if these symptoms are not cured after long-term treatment by a gastroenterologist, she must pay attention. This may be because the ovarian tumor compresses, adheres, and pulls the surrounding local tissues, further affecting the intestines and causing digestive system symptoms such as intestinal adhesion and even obstruction. There is also abdominal discomfort such as bloating caused by the stimulation of ascites.

Early symptoms of ovarian cancer

(1) Edema of the vulva and lower limbs: As the ovarian cancer grows, the pelvic veins are compressed, resulting in blood flow obstruction and obstruction of lymphatic return, causing edema of the vulva and lower limbs.

(2) Infrequent menstruation or amenorrhea: Most ovarian cancer patients experience little change in their menstruation. As the tumor grows, the cancer cells will damage the normal ovarian tissue, leading to ovarian dysfunction and causing infrequent menstruation or amenorrhea.

(III) Pain in waist and abdomen: If the tissues adjacent to the ovaries are infiltrated by the tumor or adhesions occur, it is easy to cause cramps and dull pain in the waist and abdomen.

(IV) Gastrointestinal symptoms: If a menopausal woman often feels bloating and loss of appetite, and no gastrointestinal disease is found after monitoring by the gastroenterology department, she needs to see a gynecologist. Because ovarian tumors can compress and pull the surrounding ligaments, coupled with ascites stimulation, gastrointestinal symptoms often occur.

(V) Sex hormone disorder: The types of ovarian cancer cases are varied. When some tumors secrete too much estrogen, it can cause precocious puberty, irregular menstruation or vaginal bleeding after menopause. If it is testicular blastocyst cancer, it will produce too much androgen and show signs of masculinization.

Symptoms of ovarian cancer in the middle stage

The symptoms of mid-stage ovarian cancer are between the early and late stage symptoms and develop progressively.

Common symptoms include:

(1) In the early stage, there may be occasional discomfort in the lower abdomen or a feeling of heaviness and pain in one side of the lower abdomen.

(ii) Abdominal distension. Due to the rapid growth of the tumor, there may be abdominal distension, abdominal masses and ascites in the short term. If the tumor is small, it can only be detected during pelvic monitoring. When the tumor gradually grows larger and exceeds the pelvic cavity, the tumor can be felt in the abdomen.

(III) Compression symptoms: When the tumor infiltrates into the surrounding tissues or compresses the nerves, it may cause abdominal pain, back pain or sciatica. If it compresses the pelvic veins, lower limb edema may occur. A large tumor may compress the bladder, causing frequent urination, difficulty urinating, and urine retention. Compression of the rectum may cause difficulty in defecation. Compression of the gastrointestinal tract may cause digestive tract symptoms. Compression of the diaphragm may cause difficulty in breathing and inability to lie flat.

(iv) Due to the rapid growth of the tumor, malnutrition and weight loss may occur, resulting in cachexia.

(V) Corresponding symptoms appear due to cancer metastasis. Ovarian malignant tumors rarely cause pain, but abdominal pain and back pain may occur due to tumor rupture, bleeding or infection, or due to infiltration and compression of adjacent organs.

(6) Menstrual disorders and vaginal bleeding may occur. If both ovaries are damaged by cancerous tissue, it may cause irregular menstruation and amenorrhea. Lung metastasis may cause cough, hemoptysis, and pleural effusion. Bone metastasis may cause severe pain in the local area of ​​the metastasis. Intestinal metastasis may cause blood in the stool, and severe cases may cause intestinal obstruction.

(VII) In addition, if it is a functional tumor, corresponding symptoms of excess estrogen or androgen may occur. Such as: causing early functional uterine bleeding, postmenopausal vaginal bleeding or the appearance of masculinization signs. Patients in the late stage show obvious weight loss, severe anemia and cachexia. During gynecological monitoring, scattered hard nodules and lumps can be felt in the posterior vaginal fornix. Most of them are bilateral, solid, with uneven surfaces, fixed, and often accompanied by bloody ascites. Sometimes swollen lymph nodes can be felt in the groin, armpits, or above the collarbone.

Symptoms of ovarian cancer metastasis include:

(i) Direct expansion: Advanced ovarian cancer not only adheres to the peritoneal tissues, but can also directly infiltrate these tissues, such as the uterus, parietal peritoneum, broad ligament, fallopian tubes, colon, and small intestine, and can even expand through the fallopian tubes into the uterine cavity.

(ii) Lymphatic metastasis: Lymphatic metastasis is a common metastasis mode of ovarian cancer. It usually metastasizes to the para-aortic lymph nodes, but can also metastasize along the round ligament to the inguinal lymph nodes.

(III) Implantation metastasis: Ovarian cancer can penetrate the capsule and intestinal tract to form a large number of nodular or papillary metastatic cancers, especially the papillary tissue of serous cystadenocarcinoma, which can more easily penetrate the tumor capsule and spread to various parts of the abdominal cavity, causing a large amount of ascites.

(iv) Hematogenous metastasis: Ovarian malignant tumors rarely metastasize via the bloodstream, except for sarcomas, malignant teratomas, and advanced cases. Common distant metastases can reach the liver, pleura, lungs, etc.

Advanced symptoms of ovarian cancer

Ovarian malignant tumors grow rapidly and spread easily. However, in the early stages, patients are often asymptomatic or have milder symptoms. The disease is often discovered accidentally during gynecological monitoring, or when the tumor grows to a certain size beyond the pelvic cavity and the abdomen can be palpated, or when complications occur. By the time medical treatment is sought, it is often in the late stage.

(1) In the early stage, there may be occasional discomfort in the lower abdomen or a feeling of heaviness and pain in one side of the lower abdomen.

(ii) Abdominal distension. Due to the rapid growth of the tumor, there may be abdominal distension, abdominal masses and ascites in the short term. If the tumor is small, it can only be detected during pelvic monitoring. When the tumor gradually grows larger and exceeds the pelvic cavity, the tumor can be felt in the abdomen.

(III) Compression symptoms: When the tumor infiltrates into the surrounding tissues or compresses the nerves, it may cause abdominal pain, back pain or sciatica. If it compresses the pelvic veins, lower limb edema may occur. A large tumor may compress the bladder, causing frequent urination, difficulty urinating, and urine retention. Compression of the rectum may cause difficulty in defecation. Compression of the gastrointestinal tract may cause digestive tract symptoms. Compression of the diaphragm may cause difficulty in breathing and inability to lie flat.

(iv) Due to the rapid growth of the tumor, malnutrition and weight loss may occur, resulting in cachexia.

(V) Corresponding symptoms appear due to cancer metastasis. Ovarian malignant tumors rarely cause pain, but abdominal pain and back pain may occur due to tumor rupture, bleeding or infection, or due to infiltration and compression of adjacent organs.

(6) Menstrual disorders and vaginal bleeding may occur. If both ovaries are damaged by cancerous tissue, it may cause irregular menstruation and amenorrhea. Lung metastasis may cause cough, hemoptysis, and pleural effusion. Bone metastasis may cause severe pain in the local area of ​​the metastasis. Intestinal metastasis may cause blood in the stool, and severe cases may cause intestinal obstruction.

(VII) In addition, if it is a functional tumor, corresponding symptoms of excess estrogen or androgen may occur. Such as: causing early functional uterine bleeding, postmenopausal vaginal bleeding or the appearance of masculinization signs. Patients in the late stage show obvious weight loss, severe anemia and cachexia. During gynecological monitoring, scattered hard nodules and lumps can be felt in the posterior vaginal fornix. Most of them are bilateral, solid, with uneven surfaces, fixed, and often accompanied by bloody ascites. Sometimes swollen lymph nodes can be felt in the groin, armpits, or above the collarbone.

This is an introduction to the common symptoms of ovarian cancer. I hope it will be helpful to you. If you experience the above symptoms in your daily life, you should pay attention to it and go to a regular hospital for examination. After ovarian cancer is confirmed, you should actively receive treatment to prevent ovarian cancer from worsening due to untimely treatment and endangering the patient's life.