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Based on their experience, over and over again, ovarian cancer survivors say that they are the experts of the deadly and low-profile disease.

• “My ovarian cancer wasn’t caught by my doctor for months even though I complained about many problems that I later learned were symptoms of ovarian cancer,” says one survivor.
• “I was misdiagnosed for many months,” complain several other survivors.
• “I was told I had kidney stones.”
• “I was told to drink cranberry juice for bladder problems.”
• “I was told I had an eating disorder.”
• “I was told I was lactose intolerant.”
• “No one took my complaints seriously,” others stated.
• “It took two years to diagnose my sister (who later died), and we have a strong family history of ovarian and breast cancer. But most doctors don’t even know the warning signs,” laments one grieving family member.

In fact, ovarian cancer used to be called the silent killer, but not anymore. the Gynecological Cancer Foundation – including Dr. Barbara Goff, a gynecological oncologist at the University of Wisconsin – conducted conclusive research that confirmed what women have long known: Ovarian cancer has symptoms. these are simply: bloating, pelvic or abdominal pain, difficulty eating or feeling full quickly, and urinary symptoms such as urgency or frequency. Unfortunately, these symptoms often don’t occur until a late stage of the cancer, but the Ovarian Cancer National Alliance contends symptoms are still relevant and awareness of these symptoms by women is crucial. Awareness is vital because most cases of ovarian cancer are not discovered in an early stage when the cancer is easier to fight and the chances of survival are greatest. In early June, however, reports of new breakthroughs for detection and treatment of ovarian cancer were released. Abbott Diagnostics, a worldwide research company, announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) cleared a new diagnostic test, ARCHITECT HE4 (human epididymis protein 4), a simple blood test that aids in monitoring for the recurrence or progression of this disease. the current test most widely used to monitor ovarian cancer, CA-125, measures levels of a protein in the blood as an indication of a possible recurrence or disease progression in ovarian cancer patients. while 80 percent of ovarian cancers can be detected by CA-125, twenty percent of all ovarian cancers cannot be detected or monitored by CA-125. By using Abbott’s new HE4 test in conjunction with other clinical methods, including CA-125, physicians can get a more comprehensive clinical picture when monitoring ovarian cancer patients. on June 6, at a cancer conference in Chicago, Genentech inc. announced results from a Phase III study of Avastin. For initial treatment of ovarian cancer, women with previously untreated advanced cancer who received the drug in combination with chemotherapy, followed by the continuation of Avastin alone, had a 39 percent improvement in the likelihood of living longer without the disease worsening, compared to chemotherapy alone. the next step will be to get the drug – already used to combat other cancers – approved by the FDA for treatment of ovarian cancer. Ovarian cancer is a growth of abnormal malignant cells that begins in the ovaries. Every year in the United States, more than 21,000 women are diagnosed with ovarian cancer, and about 15,000 women die of the disease. Ovarian cancer accounts for only about 3 percent of cancers in women, but while it’s the ninth most common cancer, it is the fifth leading cause of cancer-related death among women and the deadliest of gynecological cancers.