What are the symptoms and early signs of ovarian cancer?

Written by Yan Chun
Oncology
Updated on January 30, 2025
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The symptoms and early signs of ovarian cancer mainly include the following aspects. Patients may experience persistent lower abdominal pain for no apparent reason, and some patients may experience radiating pain in the vulvar area, while others may show early clinical signs of abdominal bloating. The symptoms and early signs of ovarian cancer are not very numerous. Some patients may exhibit menstrual irregularities, such as increased or decreased menstruation, prolonged periods, or irregular vaginal bleeding. A few patients may experience abnormal vaginal discharge, which can be mixed with an unusual odor and a small amount of blood.

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Written by Liu Liang
Oncology
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Early Symptoms of Ovarian Cancer

Patients with ovarian cancer may have relatively hidden clinical symptoms in the early stages, possibly without any specific discomfort, or just mild lower abdominal bloating or pain. Symptoms tend to become more apparent only when the tumor progressively enlarges or when ascites occur, such as increased abdominal bloating and pain. Furthermore, during a physical examination, a solid or cystic-solid mass can be palpated in the pelvic area. Ascites can also lead to clinical symptoms such as nausea and vomiting. In the late stages, partial intestinal obstruction or symptoms related to pelvic compression may appear.

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Written by Liu Liang
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Ovarian Cancer Dietary Precautions

The occurrence of ovarian cancer is not greatly related to dietary habits, so there are no special dietary restrictions or forbidden foods for patients with ovarian cancer. In Western medicine, unlike Traditional Chinese Medicine, which mentions certain "stimulating foods," there are no such prohibitions. Therefore, the diet for patients with ovarian cancer is the same as for anyone else, only requiring a balanced, comprehensive nutrition, and a combination of meat and vegetables. There are no special dietary considerations needed.

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Written by Yan Chun
Oncology
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What are the symptoms and early signs of ovarian cancer?

The symptoms and early signs of ovarian cancer mainly include the following aspects. Patients may experience persistent lower abdominal pain for no apparent reason, and some patients may experience radiating pain in the vulvar area, while others may show early clinical signs of abdominal bloating. The symptoms and early signs of ovarian cancer are not very numerous. Some patients may exhibit menstrual irregularities, such as increased or decreased menstruation, prolonged periods, or irregular vaginal bleeding. A few patients may experience abnormal vaginal discharge, which can be mixed with an unusual odor and a small amount of blood.

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Written by Liu Liang
Oncology
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ovarian cancer specific drug

Ovarian cancer does not have any specific cure-all treatment. Most ovarian cancers are epithelial ovarian cancers, and there is also ovarian cancer resulting from malignant germ cells, which is a rarer pathology type. For epithelial ovarian cancer, treatment methods include surgery, radiation therapy, chemotherapy, and some targeted therapies, mainly using Bevacizumab, which is a monoclonal antibody that inhibits angiogenesis, and is usually used in combination with chemotherapy drugs. For patients with advanced ovarian cancer, those who are resistant to chemotherapy, or those in poor general health unable to endure chemotherapy, palliative treatments like hormone treatment using progestogens are an option, along with immune therapy being available nowadays. Surgery is primarily for early-stage ovarian cancer patients, where curative surgical resection is possible, or for debulking surgery in patients with advanced ovarian cancer. Chemotherapy is frequently used as it is relatively effective for epithelial ovarian cancer, a type of cancer that is somewhat sensitive to such treatments. The drugs used mainly include taxane combined with platinum-based chemotherapy. For intravenous administration or intraperitoneal delivery—for the latter, mainly for ovarian cancers complicated by extensive ascites—, positioning an abdominal drainage tube and then infusing platinum-based chemotherapy drugs into the abdominal cavity are utilized.

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Written by Liu Liang
Oncology
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Ovarian cancer stage IC means

If it is stage Ic ovarian cancer, it refers to the tumor being confined to one or both ovaries, without involvement of other pelvic organs or distant organs such as the liver or lungs. However, it must meet any of the following conditions: the first is the rupture of the capsule with tumor on the surface; the second is the presence of cancer cells in the ascites or peritoneal lavage fluid. Meeting any of these conditions, along with the tumor being limited to one or both ovaries, classifies it as stage Ic.