A 37-year-old member asked:
how can doctors distinguish between cervical and ovarian cancer?
1 doctor answer • 3 doctors weighed in

Dr. Devon Webster answered
Medical Oncology 22 years experience
Location and path.: The cervix and the ovary are two different structures, so the location of the cancer is usually different. Also, the cancer cells look different under the microscope. A pathologist who specializes in looking at cells will look at the pieces of tissue and apply special stains to tell where the cancer came from. I hope that helps!
2977 viewsReviewed >2 years ago
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Similar questions
A 32-year-old member asked:
What to do if I am scared I'm dying of cervical or ovarian cancer?
1 doctor answer • 1 doctor weighed in

Dr. Carlos Encarnacion answered
Medical Oncology 35 years experience
2 separate issues: First: cancer risk. Ovarian cancer is bad but not common unless a patient carries a high risk gene like BRCA and even then it would be unlikely at your age. Cervical cancer (or pre malignant changes) can happen at your age. By now you should be getting Pap smears and HPV test per standards of care. Talk to your doc about this and ask him if you need to see a risk assessment specialist.
3849 viewsAnswered >2 years ago
1 comment

Dr. Carlos Encarnacion commented
Medical Oncology 35 years experience
Provided original answer
Of course, if you have symptoms, you need to be checked.
Second: Anxiety. Do not let anxiety rule your life. Talk to your doc about this too. There are many ways to deal with this. Can't live in fear.
Jul 24, 2014
A 34-year-old member asked:
What are the symptoms of cervical and ovarian cancer?
1 doctor answer • 2 doctors weighed in

Dr. Jekwon Yeh answered
Radiation Oncology 13 years experience
Pain and Bleeding: Cervical cancer can present with pain and bleeding from the vagina. Ovarian cancer is tough to diagnose as it cant be picked up on a PAP smear like cervical cancer. Ovarian cancers normally present with pelvic pain.
3037 viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 38-year-old member asked:
What is the difference between cervical and ovarian cancer?
1 doctor answer • 2 doctors weighed in

Dr. Steven Vasilev answered
Gynecologic Oncology 37 years experience
Completely different: Ovarian cancer is cancer of the ovaries, which is usually sporadic or "non-family history" cancer, but can be in about 10-20% of cases. Cervical cancer is cancer of the uterine cervix which is the lower end of the uterus. This is at least partly caused by the Human Papilloma Virus. Pap and HPV testing is very good for cervical cancer screening, while there is no good ovarian cancer screening yet
3032 viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 42-year-old member asked:
What are the causes of cervical and ovarian cancer?
1 doctor answer • 4 doctors weighed in

Dr. Jekwon Yeh answered
Radiation Oncology 13 years experience
HPV: cervical cancer is caused by the HPV virus.
3037 viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 48-year-old member asked:
Can you get cervical and ovarian cancer together?
1 doctor answer • 2 doctors weighed in

Dr. Ed Friedlander answered
Pathology 44 years experience
Yes: Both are common -- thankfully, cervical cancer is usually caught early when it's very curable, and many ovarians cancers are caught early as well.
3130 viewsReviewed >2 years ago
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Last updated Jun 11, 2017
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