Who should be especially careful about ovarian cancer

Who should be especially careful about ovarian cancer, which is the number one cancer mortality rate for women?

Ovarian cancer, which was often seen in middle-aged women in the past. Recently, the age group is low, making it inevitable for women in their 20s and 30s. In particular, as it ranks first in female cancer mortality, it is important to have a lifestyle that prevents and conducts regular checkups because the prognosis is good if checked early.

Silent killer ovarian cancer without early symptoms

As is the case with most cancers, ovarian cancer is known to have no specific symptoms, especially until it progresses considerably among gynecological diseases. Because of this, he is called a "quiet killer." Early diagnosis is often found accidentally in seismic or ultrasound examinations after regularly receiving gynecological examinations.

When ovarian cancer has progressed to some extent, it spreads to the peritoneum and cools the ascites, causing pain in the abdomen or pelvis. Due to abdominal bloating and frequent or urgent urinary symptoms, they visit a hospital to find ovarian cancer. However, ovarian cancer is often already after stage 3 when symptoms appear, and the cancer spreads at a fast rate, so the treatment period is often missed.

Until now, most of ovarian cancer has been epithelial cell cancer, which usually occurs in women in their 50s and 60s after menopause, but the number of young women has increased rapidly in recent years, adding to the severity. The cause of ovarian cancer is not known exactly, but it is known that late menopause, infertility, or no childbirth experience, and if there is an ovarian or breast cancer patient in the family, the likelihood of occurrence increases.

People with family history should be especially careful

Epithelial ovarian cancer, which accounts for the majority of ovarian cancer, has been reported to be caused by genes inherited from parents. The most common of these is due to mutations in the BRCA gene. The BRCA gene has become more famous since Hollywood actress Angelina Jolie underwent a prophylactic ovarian ovarianectomy in consideration of her ovarian cancer rate of about 40%.

In the case of BRCA gene mutations, prophylactic ovarian ovarian ovarianectomy is 80 to 90% effective in preventing ovarian cancer. If you have a gynecological cancer patient in your family, it is necessary to pay attention to your body condition from a young age in preparation for an outbreak.

In order to prevent ovarian cancer, it is recommended to maintain the same living environment as general cancer prevention methods. Smoking cessation, abstaining from alcohol, a balanced diet and proper exercise help prevent ovarian cancer.

The following are the rules for preventing ovarian cancer introduced by Seoul National University Bundang Hospital. ▲ Avoid high-fat, high-protein eating habits and maintain proper weight ▲ Get regular gynecological checkups and conduct genetic counseling if your family history continues ▲ Consider prophylactic ovarian ovarian ovarianectomy in high-risk groups of ovarian cancer ▲ To suppress ovulation by taking oral contraceptives.