Ovarian cancer

Malcolm Padwick MD FRCOG Gynaecology Cancer Surgeon

Overview

6900 cases per year in UK 1 in 75 women 5th most common cancer in women Half are over 65 75% mortality

Google top hit today

Cancer missed 20 times: Sue's horrifying story shows how bad ...

25 Feb 2009 ... While this may sound like an horrific one-off, Sue's story is far from unique. The charity Target Ovarian Cancer, which has just committed ...www.dailymail.co.uk/.../Cancer-missed-20-times-Sues-horrifying-story-shows-bad-doctors-STILL-spotting-silent-killer.html - Similar

symptoms

Bloated abdomen Full after starting to eat Weight loss Nausea and indigestion Pelvic pain Change in bowel habit Frequency of urine Backache Swollen ankles Abdominal mass Vaginal bleeding

misdiagnosis

Gastric or peptic ulcers (GI referral) Gallstones (surgeons) Diverticulitis (colorectal) Cystitis (urology) SOB pleural effusion/ PE (chest

physician)

prognosis

Stage Five-year survival rate 1 90% 2 60% to 70% 3 15% to 35% 4 5% to 15%

Screening Ca125

85% of women with cancer have a raised CA125

But only 50% of women with early stage cancer have a raised CA125

Ca125 is raised in benign conditions

Screening USS

Vaginal ultrasound Accurate but high rate of false

positives Relatively expensive

screening

No general screening available in UK Selective screening for high risk

individuals – more than two affected direct relatives

BRAC 1 and 2 High risk screening not officially

recommended but has acceptance Consider prophylactive surgery

Making a diagnosis

New symptoms in otherwise fit women

Postmenopausal – especially > 65 yrs

A large mass in a woman with minimal or new symptoms is likely to be ovary/uterus

New diagnosis of IBS after 40 yrs is rarely correct !

USS is single most useful investigation

USS

Good quality community based service ??

Wait to select correct specialty service – getting this wrong can generate major delays

What is the danger in finding coincidental benign disease ?

BSO can be day surgery

Ovplex

362 plasma samples from women with ovarian cancer (n=150) and healthy controls (n=212) were used to develop a multivariate classification model incorporating five plasma biomarkers associated with ovarian cancer. Based upon the measurement of these 5 markers, the model calculates the likelihood that a patient has ovarian cancer

news

Do not use Ca125 for follow up patients

news

HRT increases risk of epithelial ovarian cancer

news

Delayed surgery now accepted

news

Intraperitoneal chemotherapy

news

Science News Personalized Treatment for Ovarian Cancer ScienceDaily (Nov. 17, 2010) — Researchers have

shown that point mutations -- mis-spellings in a single letter of genetic code -- that drive the onset and growth of cancer cells can be detected successfully in advanced ovarian cancer using a technique called OncoMap. The finding opens the way for personalised medicine in which every patient could have their tumour screened, specific mutations identified, and the appropriate drug chosen to target the mutation and halt the growth of their cancer.

The message

Treatment is effective but only if we can catch the disease early enough