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Ovarian cancer is considered one of the most difficult cancers to diagnose early in women, especially in women under the age of 50. The main reason for this is that the initial symptoms of this disease are very mild, vague and easily ignored. In the early stages, ovarian cancer symptoms include bloating, mild abdominal pain, feeling full even after eating little, and minor changes in bowel habits. Many women experience these symptoms all the time and often dismiss them as diet, stress or temporary digestive problems. So many times it is noticed only after the disease has progressed to the next stage.(Photo Courtesy – istock)

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One of the main reasons for late diagnosis in young women is the higher incidence of ovarian cysts, PCOS and digestive disorders in this age group. So the initial symptoms are assumed to be due to hormonal or simple problems. This causes the symptoms of ovarian cancer to be masked by other common diseases and delay the diagnosis.

In addition, there is still no effective and reliable screening test for ovarian cancer. CA-125 is a tumor marker used for screening, but as it is not specific, its levels can also be elevated in endometriosis or simple ovarian cysts. Even ultrasound examination is often insufficient to give a clear diagnosis in the early stages.

Today, with the increasing prevalence of benign gynecological diseases such as ovarian cysts and endometriosis, it has become increasingly difficult to differentiate between early cancers and common disorders. This increases the chances of delay in further investigations.

Fear and stress are also important reasons behind delayed diagnosis. Many women do not take the symptoms seriously or are afraid to get checked. Due to this delay in going to the doctor and the disease is detected in an advanced stage. For these reasons, almost 80 percent of ovarian cancer cases are diagnosed in stage III or IV. In the early stages, the disease is often discovered incidentally during examinations for other reasons. Dr. Tasneem Bharmal, Consultant Medical and Hemato-Oncologist at Saifi Hospital informed about this.

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What is needed next?

In this background, public awareness becomes very important. Women should not ignore ongoing changes in the body, especially if a symptom persists for several weeks or feels different than usual and seek immediate medical attention. In the absence of effective screening tests, timely screening and more vigilant evaluation by physicians is essential for early diagnosis and better treatment.