Screening for Ovarian Cancer

[mom2jared]

My mother was just diagnosed with Stage 3 Ovarian Cancer.  This came as a surprise to her and our family because my mother was perfectly healthy up to this point.  At the end of December, she started throwing up continuously and it didn't subside.  It got to the point of where she got dehydrated and had to go to the hospital for IV fluids.  After they did numerous tests, the Doctor discoverd the tumor on her ovary.  She had the CA125 test, which was positive for Ovarian Cancer.  

I would like to know what my chances are of inheritating this disease and how can I properly screen for it.  No one in my mom or dad's family had Ovarian Cancer, although my Dad's sister had Breast Cancer.  My parents want me to take the BRAC test, but I am hearing that even though the BRAC test can show if I have the gene, it will not be able to prove that I will eventually get the disease.  I do pelvic and transvaginal ultrasounds once a year because I had an ovarian cyst in 1996 and ended up having a Myomectomy.  

I'm very worried about getting this disease too and wonder what I can do to prevent this from happening to me.  

Thanks!

Ilana

[roshanie]

Can you tell me what the signs of the last stages of ovarian cancer is? Thanks.

[Annekathryn Goodman, M.D.]

Hi There
most ovarian cancer is sporadic
as a general statistic, unrelated to any other risk factors, women have a 1 in 70 lifetime risk of developing ovarian cancer
That is one tenth the incidence of breast cancer.
that is - women in North America have a one in 7 lifetime risk of breast cancer

the only cancer more common than breast cancer (excluding skin cancers) is in women who smoke cigarettes. For them , lung cancer is the big killer.
now to put it in perspective, many more women die from heart disease than any cancer


so if you want to be pro-active as a general rule, do 30 minutes of exercise a day, maintain your ideal body weight, and take a baby aspirin a day

now back to ovarian cancer:

your mother should get tested for the BRCA gene. If she has the gene , then family members should get tested

if your mother is BRCA gene mutation positive, and you get tested and are positive, you need to have your ovaries and fallopian tubes prophylactically removed

if your mother tests positive for BRCA and you test negative, then you only have a 1 in 70 risk and not a 30 to 50% risk of developing ovarian cancer (and an up to 80% risk of developing breast cancer for BRCA 1 gene mutation)

if your mother tests negative for the gene, then it does not make sense to test you.

the indications for prophylactic surgical removal of the ovaries and fallopian tubes is either positive BRCA mutation or 2 or more first degree family members with ovarian/breast cancer.

best wishes