Ask the Doctor at Saint John’s: Focusing On Ovarian Cancer

Q: Why is ovarian cancer difficult to diagnose?

By Augustin Garcia, M.D., Staff Physician of Saint John’s Health Center and member of Premiere Oncology.

Premiere Oncology specializes in medical oncology, which is the treatment of cancer through drug therapy. Each of our physicians brings something special to Premiere. The result is a unique medical group that, together with Saint John’s Health Center, brings world-class cancer care and research to Los Angeles.

I’m involved in research and treatment of breast and ovarian cancer, two forms of cancer that share a close genetic connection. While ovarian cancer is less common than breast cancer, it has unique aspects that make it harder to diagnose.

Ongoing clinical trials at Premiere of target-specific drugs promise dramatic advances in the way we treat ovarian cancer. Today, however, I’d like to briefly discuss the special characteristics that make ovarian cancer such a “tough customer.”

It is sometimes said that there are no symptoms associated with ovarian cancer. That’s not quite true. What is true is that its symptoms include indigestion, nausea, constipation and urinary infections, all of which are characteristic of other illnesses.

Why does this happen? In ovarian cancer, the tumor growing within the woman’s ovaries begins to push into surrounding organs. Those organs begin to mimic behavior that normally occurs when other diseases strike. As a result, doctors may look for those illnesses before they focus on ovarian cancer.

All cancers involve cells that lose characteristics of the original organ. These mutant cells replicate and usually spread to other parts of the body. Ovarian cancer is unique in that it tends to spread within the abdominal cavity. These factors are some of the reasons why, in approximately sixty percent of all cases, ovarian cancer has advanced to stage 3 or 4 before being properly diagnosed.

Even if a doctor is searching for ovarian cancer within the abdominal cavity, it can be hard to find at the earlier stages. When the cancer is detected early enough, the statistics are very promising. There is a ninety percent survival rate for ovarian cancer that’s diagnosed at stage one.

An annual rectal and pelvic exam greatly increases the chance that ovarian cancer will be caught early. If a woman is not receiving these examinations every year, it’s her right to request it from her physician. It’s her responsibility to herself and her loved ones.

Dr. Garcia is a staff physician of Saint John’s Health Center, and is a member of Premiere Oncology. Dr. Garcia serves as Associate Editor of the Women’s Oncology Review. For more information about Dr. Garcia or other Saint John’s services, please call (310) 829-8990 or visit the website at www.stjohns.org.