Question 1

how long can you live with ovarian cancer?

Accepted Answer

It depends: Ovarian cancer that is caught early enough can be cured with surgery and you can live a normal life.  Ovarian cancer that can't be cured can be treated repeatedly.  Many women live for years with ovarian cancer with intermittent treatment, but each case is different.  This is something you should ask your oncologist to be very honest about.

Question 2

how long can ovarian cancer be left untreated?

Accepted Answer

???: Why?  Even patients with advanced cancer can be treated successfully for control of symptoms and sometimes do well for over a year. Progressive ovarian cancer can be quite unpleasant so i'm not sure why it would be left untreated. Of course, if the patient has already received multiple chemos, it would be a different situation. To answer your ?, it depends but probably not for long.

Question 3

does ovarian cancer have symptoms in its early stages?

Accepted Answer

Sometimes: Ovarian cancer may have initial symptoms of pain, nausea, vomiting, or abdominal fullness, but some patients have no symptoms until the cancer is quite large.  Regular pelvic exams by your doctor are important! if you have a family history of breast or ovarian cancer, please let your doctor know.

Question 4

why does ovarian cancer make you feel full more quickly?

Accepted Answer

It is complicated: Advanced ovarian cancer typically presents with abdominal distention, nausea, anorexia, or early satiety due to the presence of ascites (fluid within the abdomen) and omental or bowel metastases; dyspnea is occasionally present due to a pleural effusion. However, symptoms occur in many women even at early stages of the disease, likely a result of inflammation and hormonal changes.

Question 5

if you have ovarian cancer do you have every week each symptom ?

Accepted Answer

No: Popular books give lists of symptoms of particular diseases.  Ovarian cancer can be any of over fifty different subtypes, each with its own personality, and what symptoms from a list you have and do not have at a particular time depend on how much tumor is present, where it has spread, what substances it may be producing, and whether your immune system is fighting it.

Question 6

have women in their twenties been diagnosed with ovarian cancer?

Accepted Answer

Yes: It is rare but it does happen.  Usually it is a different type of cancer than what is seen in mature women.

Question 7

can you tell me what occurs (at a cellular level) with ovarian cancer?

Accepted Answer

Growing cells.: Cancer starts when a cell gets damaged and keeps growing. Normal cells grow and divide at different times in life, but then stop. Cancer cells never stop. They don't have an "off"switch. Ovarian cancer is simply an ovarian cell that started dividing and kept going. Over time, the cancer cells gain the ability to invade and move to different places.  I hope that helps!

Question 8

does ovarian cancer occur more often in any particular geographic location?

Accepted Answer

Ovarian Cancer: Yes.  Ovarian cancer occurs more often in countries with the highest population e.g. India and china.

Question 9

what are the chances of long-term survival after a third recurrence of ovarian cancer?

Accepted Answer

Not good: Ovarian cancer (serous carcinoma) is devastating, as it often is discovered at a late stage.  With recurrent disease, a cure is very unlikely.  Depending upon the extent of disease and response of tumor to chemotherapy, and most importantly, the body's ability to tolerate the medication, most patients with recurrent disease can expect a survival of several months to a few years.

Question 10

have been diagnosed with ovarian cancer, what are the chances that this was hereditary?

Accepted Answer

Low chance: Without a family history of breast or ovarian cancer, a single case of ovarian cancer has a low risk to be caused by a single gene mutation (e.g., the brca1 or brca2 mutations). However, testing for brca can be considered with an isolated case of ovarian cancer, particularly if it is in a women under 45 or the woman has children who would be at 50% risk of inheriting a brca mutation.

Get Virtual Care

For Businesses

About Us

HealthTap Online Primary Care Doctors Accepting New Patients

Doctor answers about:

Band around rib cage ovarian cancer

A member asked:

How long can you live with ovarian cancer?

A member asked:

How long can ovarian cancer be left untreated?

A member asked:

Does ovarian cancer have symptoms in its early stages?

A member asked:

Why does ovarian cancer make you feel full more quickly?

A member asked:

If you have ovarian cancer do you have every week each symptom ?

A member asked:

Have women in their twenties been diagnosed with ovarian cancer?

A member asked:

Can you tell me what occurs (at a cellular level) with ovarian cancer?

A member asked:

Does ovarian cancer occur more often in any particular geographic location?

A member asked:

What are the chances of long-term survival after a third recurrence of ovarian cancer?

A member asked:

Have been diagnosed with ovarian cancer, what are the chances that this was hereditary?

HealthTap Online Primary Care Doctors Accepting New Patients

Telemedicine

Primary Care

Manage Your Conditions

Women's Health

Children's Health

Men's Health

Senior Health

Wellness, Prevention & Lifestyle

Sexual Health

Mental & Behavioral Health

Travel Medicine

Urgent Care

Didn't find what you're looking for?

More of what we treat

Allergies

Antibiotics

Asthma

High Blood Pressure

Prescriptions

Type 2 Diabetes

For Businesses

Company

Health Content

Join Us

Download HealthTap

Questions?