How do you know you have cancer?

Answer 1

If ovarian cancer is found and treated quickly, patients usually recover fully. This makes it very important to be aware of possible early symptoms. Signs to look for include swelling or bloating, a feeling of fullness, problems using the restroom, and pelvic or abdominal pain.

Answer 2

The symptoms of ovarian cancer are non-specific, meaning they are very general (eg, abdominal pain) and so ovarian cancer can be confused with lots of other things. See a doctor and ask specifically if your symptoms and signs fit those of ovarian cancer.

Answer 3

This is something that needs to be diagnosed by your doctor. If you are having pain or cramping, your doctor may set you up for a sonogram to check for cysts or a mass. If something questionable is detected with sonogram, it would then need to be biopsied to determine if it is cancerous or not. Ovarian cysts are very common and are seldom cancerous. If you have a family history of ovarian cancer (mother, sister, aunt) don't put off going to your Doctor. Early detection can save your life.

Answer

Some years ago I lost a wonderful friend who died at age 56 of ovarian cancer. In the early stages she felt a general malaise and found she wasn't her usual lively self. Unfortunately, she didn't take the problem seriously until it was too late. Early detection is most important.

Answer

I just recently had a discussion with my GP because I was roaring mad over losing a friend to ovarian cancer which is deemed "The Silent Killer!" What a crock! Women over the age of 40 should get their complete physical and get a scan done on their ovaries. Why don't they get this life saving scan? Because, it would plug up the Health Care System and be costly. I told my GP why not give the patient the right to pay for the test if they so choose. Golly gosh!

There are usually no symptoms until it's too late, thus the term Silent Killer. When women go in for their internal examination the doctor will take a pap smear and feel around, but unless the cyst is large enough it can be missed.

I told my doctor from now on I want a scan on my ovaries done every year and I'd pay for it and he agreed.

Ask your doc for a trans-vaginal ultrasound (better view than traditional ultrasound) and a ca-125 blood test (it detects antigens in the blood stream that can indicate ovarian cancer...normal levels are around 35). Many physicians don't like the ca-125 because it CAN produce false-positives and is not ALWAYS elevated with ovarian cancer...however...it is one of the only tools available to detect this disease and is better than nothing...good luck to you...I lost my mom to this disease recently...she was misdiagnosed for almost a year before finally beginning her treatment...

LADIES .... FIGHT BACK!

OVARIAN CANCER ... SILENT KILLER? That's the biggest line of bull that has been going around for years. YOUR GOVERNMENT (re health care) and your doctors all are at fault by not telling you the truth.

Ovarian Cancer does not have any symptoms that would appear abnormal to most women:

• Abdominal swelling - Women can get this before periods, perimenopause and menopause. It can be also caused from hormone imbalances; not enough water, poor diet and little exercise.
• Bloating/Clothes Too Tight - How many women go through this before they start their periods or during menopause. Plenty! Women are noted for sometimes having water retention. One day you get into your clothes and the next you find them a little tight.
• Gas/Indigestion/Nausea/Changes in Bowel Movements - Most humans get gas from certain foods they eat and that's life! Our bodies change every 7 years so what we use to be able to eat when we were younger we can't always eat today and this can cause indigestion and heartburn (as poor eating habits can cause) and what we eat can change our bowel movements (men included!) Nausea is part of most women because our hormones are flipping all over the place during our lifetime. PMS, pregnancy, perimenopause and menopause. Sometimes it could be you are fighting off a virus or a medication you are on.
• Urinary Problems/Urgency/Burning/Spasms: Any woman knows that urinary problems are part of being a woman. Burning can mean one has a urinary tract infection (common) and spasms can be due to the vagina walls contracting. Urgency to urinate also can come after having children or as you age because the muscles weaken. It's called 'incontinence' in the elderly.
• Pain During Intercourse - This could be one sign, but some women have many things that can give them a problem with painful intercourse.
• Back pain - Now who hasn't had that! It's called working hard and lifting things when there is no one else around to help you. Women who are pregnant experience back pain as well as lifting children up and down. As we age most people do start having some back pain to chronic back pain.
• Difficulty breathing - The person could be Asthmatic, have Allergies or other problems.
• Fatigue - This isn't a symptom, in most cases it's a fact. We often are very busy as wives, mothers, working, housework, studying for college, etc. As we get older those naps after dinner seem to be getting to be a habit, so if one should feel fatigued they may simply be tired, could be slight depression anemia or are worried about something.

If women went to the doctor every time they had one of the above we'd never be home! That's what 'yearly physicals' are meant for and doctors just don't seem to catch the possibility that some women may have Ovarian Cancer and will pass it off and 'mood swings' depression, hormonal imbalances. 'Here, take this pill!'

The bottom line is that anyone that writes about symptoms regarding Ovarian Cancer has no clue of what they are talking about and at least 1/3rd of these people know it! Tell the truth!

The truth is, that women from the age of 40 and when a woman reaches 50 on she stands a greater risk of getting Ovarian Cancer and should be able to have a COMPLETE PHYSICAL which includes a screening test called a CA-125. This is as important as getting your pap smear (which seldom will catch Ovarian Cancer or a Mammogram to detect breast lumps, yet, do we get it? Of course we don't because it would cost the medical system too much money! Your doctor knows it!

Next time you go in for your physical talk to your doctor about the CA-125 and if they give excuses such as 'Well Mrs. Smith, you look just fine from the pelvic exam' or, they hem and haw, then STAND YOUR GROUND! Demand it! Ask how much it costs to have one. I know not all women can afford to pay for such a test, but if we don't start standing up for our rights and let our governments know about it and have it as part of our physicals then Ovarian Cancer will always come under the heading of 'The Silent Killer' and more women will die.

My friends and I (I have also recruited other women) are standing up and fighting against Ovarian Cancer and we want that CA-125 and blast, we're going to get it. Think of the lives it can save. It could be you, your mother, aunt, grandmother, daughter!

Don't get your yearly physical and let your doctor poo-poo the fact there is little chance you have Ovarian Cancer. Out of 100 women there is going to be at least 2 -3 % that will! Which group would you fall into? No doctor has a right to play a guessing game on this issue!

Remember, most women who have Ovarian Cancer say 'I left it too late' has been brainwashed! No, this person has been gypped out of proper health care and by their doctor!

Answer 4

If the doctor or midwife feels a mass during an abdominal / digital exam, s/he should order further tests such as ultra sound or MRI. If the tests are positive for an ovarian mass, then a biopsy needs to be done.

When looking for fluid in the ovary s/he can do a needle aspiration biopsy, if the mass appears to be solid, the test will probably be done laparoscopically.

Answer 5

• Fatigue
• Fever
• Lump or thickening that can be felt under the skin
• Pain
• Weight changes, including unintended loss or gain
• Skin changes, such as yellowing, darkening or redness of the skin, sores that won't heal, or changes to existing moles
• Changes in bowel or bladder habits
• Persistent cough
• Difficulty swallowing
• Hoarseness
• Persistent indigestion or discomfort after eating

The only way to find out if you have cancer and what type of cancer is to be tested. Sometimes a simple blood test can tell you if you have cancer or not. In other circumstances a biopsy is needed.

Answer 6

See a doctor. Only a professional can determine that.

you put your hand in front of your face and see if you hand is bigger then your face then HIT YOUR HAND WITH YOUR OTHER HAND AS HARD AS YOU CAN!!!

Answer 7

A pap test will reveal abnormal cells. An abnormal pap test will result in a cervical tissue sample which will be reviewed by a pathologist to determine if it is noncancerous, precancerous, or cancerous

Answer 8

If you have cancer, your face turns red and you go to the restroom alot. This is known to be known by known survivors of cancer.

Answer 9

I don’t know the answer..I’m asking