Category Archives: Symptoms

GPs Should Suspect Ovarian Cancer in All Women With Distended Abdomen, U.K. Researchers Warn

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“GPs [General Practioners] should suspect ovarian cancer in all women presenting with abdominal distension, [U.K.] researchers have warned.  The primary care study found it was an important enough symptom on its own to warrant further investigation.  Researchers linked seven symptoms to ovarian cancer with many commonly present as much as six months before diagnosis, and warned that their study dispelled the myth that ovarian cancer was a ‘silent killer’. …”

“GPs [General Practioners] should suspect ovarian cancer in all women presenting with abdominal distension, researchers have warned.

The primary care study found it was an important enough symptom on its own to warrant further investigation.

Researchers linked seven symptoms to ovarian cancer with many commonly present as much as six months before diagnosis, and warned that their study dispelled the myth that ovarian cancer was a ‘silent killer’.

As many as 2.5% of women with abdominal distension on its own were subsequently diagnosed with ovarian cancer, and an ovarian cancer diagnosis was 240 times more likely in these women than in controls.

Urinary frequency and abdominal pain were also associated with risk, with the relative risk of ovarian cancer increasing by 16- and 12-fold respectively, although the positive predictive values of the symptoms on their own were only 0.2% and 0.3%.

Abdominal distension, urinary frequency and abdominal pain remained independently associated with cancer more than six months prior to diagnosis.

Dr. Willie Hamilton, a GP and a senior research fellow in primary care at the University of Bristol, said his preliminary results provided an evidence base for GPs to select patients for further investigation: ‘Abdominal distension is important enough to warrant investigation for ovarian cancer even without the need for other symptoms.’  ‘Ovarian cancer is not a silent killer, it’s just its noise seems to go unheard by GPs at times’, he added.

The study, presented at the Society for Academic Primary Care south west annual research meeting last week, examined the records of 212 women diagnosed with ovarian cancer at 39 practices in Devon in the year before diagnosis, and compared them with 1,030 matched controls.

Dr. Murray Freeman, a GP in Birkenhead, Merseyside and cancer lead for Wirral PCT, said the study ‘highlights how often ovarian cancer masquerades as other common illnesses’. ‘GPs should have a low index of suspicion in women over 40 with non specific symptoms – and refer or investigate early.’

Dr. Nick Brown, a GP in Chippenham, Wiltshire with an interest in cancer, said GPs desperately needed a tool to aid earlier diagnosis. ‘Small tumours are very difficult to diagnosis, even by doing a pelvic or vaginal examination. By the time tumours reach the size they can be detected it may have spread and treatment might not be that easy.’

Positive predictive values of ovarian cancer symptoms –

• Abdominal distensions – 2.5%
• Post-menopausal bleeding
• Loss of appetite – 0.6%
• Urinary frequency – 0.2%
• Abdominal pain – 0.3%
• Rectal bleeding – 0.2%
• Abdominal bloating – 0.3%

Source: Society for Academic Primary Care, South West Annual Research Meeting, March 2009, oral presentation”

Quoted Source:  Suspect Ovarian Cancer In All Women With Distended Abdomen, by Lilian Anekwe, Pulsetoday.co.uk, Mar. 9, 2009.

Oscar Winner Kathy Bates Is an Inspirational Ovarian Cancer Survivor

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When you think of Kathy Bates, you recall immediately her portrayal of “Annie Wilkes” in the movie Misery.  In Misery, Kathy Bates, as Annie, holds her favorite author (played by James Caan) hostage.   The role of Annie Wilkes earned Kathy Bates an Oscar for “Best Actress.” Her role as the legendary “Unsinkable Molly Brown” in the movie Titanic is also unforgettable.  More recently, she re-teamed with her Titanic co-stars Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet in the movie Revolutionary Road, which is based upon Richard Yates‘ critically acclaimed novel by the same name.  Throughout her lengendary career, Kathy Bates has been a talented actress, television director, singer, producer, and composer.  Kathy can now add ovarian cancer spokesperson and advocate to her ongoing list of talented roles.

Bates appeared on the TODAY show on January 9th, 2009, to discuss her role in the film Revolutionary Road and her experience with ovarian cancer. The Kathy Bates interview video is provided below through a hyperlink.

Kathy Bates Interview on the NBC TODAY show

In September 2008, and for the first time publicly, Kathy Bates shared the story of her personal fight with ovarian cancer with the Ovarian Cancer National Alliance (OCNA) .  With respect to her OCNA interview, Bates said: “As an ovarian cancer survivor, I have decided to join forces with the Ovarian Cancer National Alliance by sharing my story and helping educate women about one of the deadliest cancers affecting women today.”  The interview was very personal and in-depth,  and Bates shared insights about how she was diagnosed with the disease.  The video of the Kathy Bates interview with OCNA is provided below.

Kathy Bates Interview with OCNA

As an ovarian cancer advocate, Ms. Bates also filmed a 30-second TV Public Service Announcement (PSA) about ovarian cancer and its symptoms.  Bates’ ovarian cancer PSA was launched in New York City taxi cabs during September 2008, National Ovarian Cancer Awareness month, and continues to run on TV networks nationwide.  In response to Kathy Bates’ willingness to speak out about ovarian cancer, Karen Orloff Kaplan, Chief Executive Officer of OCNA, said: “OCNA recognizes the personal strength it took Kathy to talk publicly about her run-in with cancer.  We appreciate her willingness to share her story and be an advocate for the organization in its mission to educate women across the country about ovarian cancer.”  The ovarian cancer PSA video featuring Kathy Bates is provided below.

Kathy Bates Ovarian Cancer PSA

Source:  Academy Award Winning Actress Kathy Bates Opens Up about her Experience with Ovarian Cancer, Articles, Ovarian Cancer National Alliance.

Libby’s H*O*P*E*(tm) Adds New Cancer Video Archive Courtesy of Vodpod.com

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Yesterday, Libby’s H*O*P*E* added a new cancer video archive to the weblog courtesy of Vodpod.com.  Currently, the archive contains approximately 90 videos that address many general cancer and ovarian cancer issues, as well as the personal voices of those affected by cancer. The new video archive is located on the homepage right sidebar.  All you have to do is “click and play.”

vodpod-logoYesterday, Libby’s H*O*P*E* added a new cancer video archive to the weblog courtesy of Vodpod.com.  Currently, the archive contains approximately 90 videos that address many general cancer and ovarian cancer issues, as well as the personal voices of those affected by cancer. The new video archive is located on the homepage right sidebar.  All you have to do is “click and play.”  The video arrangement is set to “random order” so that new videos appear on the homepage sidebar each time you visit Libby’s H*O*P*E*.

If you are aware of a general cancer/ovarian cancer video that is educational, heartfelt, inspirational, humorous, poignant, or is simply dedicated to the one you love, please provide us with the URL address of the video.  The URL video address can be sent to us by email (click on the “contact” button located at the top of the homepage), or by comment (post a comment under this post).  Upon receipt of the video URL address, we will add the referenced video to the new archive.  We appreciate your participation in adding to our video archive and hope you find the archive helpful.

A Requiem Hallelujah, But Don’t Let There Be a Hole in the World Tomorrow

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As many of you know, the H*O*P*E*™ weblog is dedicated to Libby, my 26 year old cousin. Libby was diagnosed with ovarian clear cell carcinoma in January 2007. I am deeply saddened to inform you that Libby lost her ovarian cancer battle this morning with her family at her side. Libby leaves behind her loving spouse, Steve, her mother Kathy, her father Dennis, and her sister Sara.

Libby and Steve are the inspiration behind H*O*P*E*™, and its contining campaign to make all women aware of the early warning signs and symptoms of ovarian cancer, as well as significant treatment developments relating to the disease. Upon hearing of Libby’s death this morning, my initial thought was to allow H*O*P*E*™ to go “dark” (from a post reporting perspective) for the next week in her honor. Immediately after that initial thought, two classic songs came to mind as a better way to honor Libby. I believe the song choices were inspired by Libby from a much better place.

The first song is a gospel ballad entitled “Hallelujah.” “Hallelujah” was written by Canadian singer-songwriter Leonard Cohen, who originally released it on his 1984 studio album entitled “Various Positions.” A general translation of the word “Hallelujah” in the Jewish and Christian faiths is “Great Praise to God.” The song “Hallelujah” is frequently used in television shows and movies during scenes involving death or heartbreak. The reason for this, I believe, is that the song evokes strong emotions that capture the struggle to love, pray, and live with faith in the midst of tragic human suffering. Libby experienced that same struggle throughout her treatment, yet continued her fight to the end with grace and courage.

“Hallelujah” has been covered by various singers more than 120 times (counting only recorded, not live, versions). American singer-songwriter Jeff Buckley recorded one of the best-known and emotionally moving covers of “Hallelujah” for his 1994 studio album entitled “Grace.” Buckley, not wholly satisfied with any one take, recorded the song more than twenty times. In September 2007, a poll of fifty songwriters conducted by Q Magazine listed “Hallelujah” among the all-time “Top 10 Greatest Tracks,” with John Legend calling Buckley’s version “as near perfect as you can get.” A hyperlink to Jeff Buckley’s cover version of “Hallelujah” is provided below as an acknowledgment of Libby’s courageous fight against ovarian cancer.

Jeff Buckley-Hallelujah

CLICK HERE TO VIEW VIDEO

The second song is “[There’s a] Hole in the World [Tonight], which was recorded by The Eagles, a legendary U.S. rock band. In August 2001, The Eagles returned to the U.S. upon completion of a successful European tour to record a new album. The band was scheduled to begin recording on September 11, 2001. “Hole in the World” was written by the band in five part harmony to express the fear, sorrow, and future hope stemming from that tragic day. The lyrics set forth in the first verse of the song are as follows:

“There’s a hole in the world tonight.
There’s a cloud of fear and sorrow.
There’s a hole in the world tonight.
Don’t let there be a hole in the world tomorrow.”

I believe that Libby would abide by the message set forth in the last two sentences of that verse. Today, our family has a hole in its world as a result of Libby’s death, but H*O*P*E*™ cannot allow that fear and sorrow to create a hole in the world of another woman and her family through the failure to move ahead with its educational mission. Libby would tell you that “education increases survival.”

A video of The Eagles singing “Hole in the World” is provided below, as inspiration for all individuals who are involved in the fight against ovarian cancer. This fight will require perseverance through medical research, advocacy, education and fundraising until ovarian cancer is vanquished.

As an enduring tribute to Libby, H*O*P*E*™ revised the weblog homepage caption to read “Libby’s H*O*P*E*™.” We love you Libby and will forever miss you, but we will continue the fight against ovarian cancer on your behalf.

The Eagles – Hole In the World

Source: Wikipedia descriptions of the word “Hallelujah,” and Leonard Cohen’s song entitled “Hallelujah.”

Symptom Screening + CA-125 Blood Test = Better Detection of Early Stage Ovarian Cancer

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” …Research has found that when used alone, a simple four-question symptom-screening questionnaire and the CA125 ovarian-cancer blood test each detect about 60 percent of women with early-stage ovarian cancer and 80 percent of those with late-stage disease. This study found that when used together, the questionnaire and blood test may boost early-detection rates to more than 80 percent and late-stage detection rates to more than 95 percent. …”

“Women’s reports of persistent, recent-onset symptoms linked to ovarian cancer – abdominal or pelvic pain, difficulty eating or feeling full quickly and abdominal bloating – when combined with the CA125 blood test may improve the early detection of ovarian cancer by 20 percent, according to new findings by researchers at Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center published online today in CANCER.

Research has found that when used alone, a simple four-question symptom-screening questionnaire and the CA125 ovarian-cancer blood test each detect about 60 percent of women with early-stage ovarian cancer and 80 percent of those with late-stage disease. This study found that when used together, the questionnaire and blood test may boost early-detection rates to more than 80 percent and late-stage detection rates to more than 95 percent.

‘Of course, it is the increase in the detection of early-stage disease that is the most exciting,’ said lead author M. Robyn Andersen, Ph.D., an associate member of the Public Health Sciences Division at the Hutchinson Center. Cure rates for those diagnosed when the disease is confined to the ovary are approximately 70 percent to 90 percent. However, more than 70 percent of women with ovarian cancer are diagnosed with advanced-stage disease, when the survival rate is only 20 percent to 30 percent.

‘This research suggests that if a woman has one or more symptoms that are new for her, having begun within the past year, and if the symptoms happen nearly daily or at least 12 times a month, that may well be a signal to go in and discuss those symptoms with her doctor,’ Andersen said. ‘It’s probably not going to be ovarian cancer, just as most breast lumps are not breast cancer, but it’s still a sign that it might be worth checking with her doctor to see if a CA125 blood test and transvaginal ultrasound may be appropriate.’

Assessing the symptoms included in the symptom-screening index may already be done by some doctors based on a consensus statement issued last year by the National Institutes of Health. The researchers hope their symptom index will help doctors know which among their patients who complain of symptoms such as abdominal swelling and pelvic pain might have cancer.

The symptom-screening index, developed in 2006 by paper co-author Barbara A. Goff, M.D., professor and director of Gynecologic Oncology at the University of Washington School of Medicine, is not used proactively in clinical general practice, but Andersen and colleagues are conducting a pilot study to assess the value of using it as a screening tool among normal-risk women as part of their routine medical-history assessment.

For the just-published study, the researchers administered the symptom questionnaire to 75 women about to undergo surgery for pelvic masses who were later diagnosed with ovarian cancer (the case group), and 254 healthy women at high risk for ovarian cancer due to a family history of the disease (the control, or comparison, group). The cases were recruited through Pacific Gynecology Specialists at Swedish Medical Center in Seattle, and the controls were recruited through the Ovarian Cancer Early Detection Study, a joint project of the Hutchinson Center and the Marsha Rivkin Center for Ovarian Cancer Research.

The National Institutes of Health/National Cancer Institute, the Marsha Rivkin Center for Ovarian Cancer Research and the Canary Foundation supported this research.”

[Quoted Source: Symptom screening plus a simple blood test equals a 20 percent jump in early detection of ovarian cancer, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center News Release, June 23, 2008.]