Calgary Herald, Sept 22, Ovarian Cancer‏

What happened to Anne Chase on April 1 a decade ago was no joke. While 
doing yard work in her Regina home, she injured her side: all that heavy 
lifting led to what Chase thought was just a minor injury, but it was more 
than that - and the injury ultimately saved her life.

 
Chase's pain was so severe she went to see her doctor, who discovered a mass 
on her left side. An ultrasound revealed the mass was ovarian cancer - a 
cancer known as the ``silent killer'' due to its common symptoms. She was 
diagnosed with Stage 1 ovarian cancer - a rare early diagnosis for a cancer 
often not caught until Stage 3 or 4, by which time it is usually terminal.
 

Just five months earlier, Chase had a complete checkup, but nothing abnormal 
was discovered.
 

In the wake of her diagnosis, Chase was scheduled for a full hysterectomy. 
By the time she went in for surgery three weeks later, she had lost 22 
pounds.
 

``The pain was so severe I was vomiting all the time and I couldn't eat,'' 
she says. ``My daughter said I went from a vibrant woman to an old lady 
almost overnight.''
 

During her surgery, the doctors removed a seven-pound mass on her left 
ovary. The mass had been growing for so long it was filled with gangrene.
 

The surgery was a success and because the cancer had been caught in its 
earliest stage Chase didn't have to go through chemotherapy. She is well 
aware she is one of the lucky ones.

 
``By lifting something, it probably saved my life,'' says Chase, who will 
celebrate her 68th birthday in October.
  
A widow for five years, Chase is retired and spends ``as much time as I 
can'' with her son, daughter and four grandchildren. She is also a dedicated 
volunteer with Ovarian Cancer Canada as well as her church and local 
hospital.
 
September is Ovarian Cancer Awareness month, which was marked with the 
seventh annual Winners Walk of Hope on Sept. 13. Chase went to Saskatoon for 
the walk, which takes place in 14 cities across Canada each year.

 
Another organization close to Chase's heart is Listen to the Whispers, an 
awareness organization where (ovarian) cancer survivors teach students in 
the medical profession about the disease and its symptoms.

 
Olympic silver medalist Elizabeth Manley-Theobold, who earned a medal in 
figure skating at the 1988 Winter Olympics in Calgary, has become the new 
face in the fight against ovarian cancer. In July of 2008, she lost her 
mother to the disease. Manley-Theobold, 44, is using her story to help raise 
awareness and some much-need funds as the spokesperson for Ovarian Cancer 
Canada.
  
But Dr. Dianne Miller of the BC Cancer Agency says there's still a lot of 
work to be done in terms of awareness.

 
``A lot of people, unless they've been directly touched by ovarian cancer, 
know very little about it,'' she says.
  
More research (into ovarian cancer) is being done, but it ``certainly pales 
in comparison to other cancers such as breast and prostate.''
 

Miller says women need to be vigilant about their health and listening to 
their bodies.
 

``The signs for ovarian cancer are quite vague and usually related to the GI 
(gastrointestinal) tract, the bowels, and the symptoms are ones that many 
women have all the time,'' says Miller, citing indigestion, acid reflux and 
bloating among other symptoms.
 

``I think the important thing is that if these symptoms persist they need to 
be investigated, and what we need to convey to physicians and patients is 
that part of that investigation of the GI symptoms include a pelvirectal 
exam.''

 
A good way to gauge whether or not these symptoms could be serious is if 
they don't go away when you would expect.

 
``If you are suffering from GI upset in general it usually goes away in a 
day or two so if you have something persisting for a week, if you have 
abdominal bloating and it persists beyond a few days, then absolutely you 
should be seeing your physician. If you notice a change in bowel habit, 
particularly narrowing of the stools, and that doesn't go back to normal 
quickly you should again consult with your doctor,'' says Miller, adding the 
same advice applies to upper GI symptoms such as acid reflux and 
indigestion.

 
What's important to understand, Miller says, is that most of the time 
ovarian cancer does not cause pain. It only involves pain if something else 
happens - if there is internal bleeding or if the ovary twists and cuts off 
the blood supply.
 

For more information visit ovariancanada.org

 
SIDEBAR 1:
 

SIGNS AND SYMPTOMS OF OVARIAN CANCER
 
There is no one specific symptom for ovarian cancer. The symptoms are 
generally vague, non-specific and can be mistakenly attributed to other 
causes such as IBS (Irritable Bowel Syndrome). If you have one or more of 
these symptoms lasting for three weeks or longer, see your doctor 
immediately.
 

Most common symptoms:

 
a.. Swelling or bloating of the abdomen
b.. Pelvic discomfort or heaviness
c.. Back or abdominal pain
d.. Fatigue
e.. Gas, nausea, indigestion
f.. Change in bowel habits
g.. Emptying your bladder frequently
h.. Menstrual irregularities
i.. Weight loss or weight gain
j.. Other symptoms:
k.. Mass or "lump" in your pelvis that you can feel
l.. Inability to eat normally
m.. Pain with intercourse
n.. Vaginal bleeding
 
- Source: Ovarian Cancer Canada. For more information, visit 
ovariancanada. Org
 

SIDEBAR 2:
 
Screening for ovarian cancer

 
To date, no single test can reliably detect ovarian cancer at a 
presymptomatic (before the symptoms begin or are very noticeable) stage. 
Screening involves using tests to detect early curable disease in healthy, 
asymptomatic women. Having several tests that are all required for a clear 
picture may help detect ovarian cancer at an early stage
  
a.. A full pelvic exam is an important step in diagnosing ovarian cancer. 
A Pap smear does not detect or rule out ovarian cancer.
b.. A transvaginal ultrasound is also recommended. In this test, a narrow 
probe is inserted into the vagina and sends out high-frequency sound waves 
which bounce off the ovaries and produce echoes that are used to create a 
picture called a sonogram. Doctors examine the sonogram for echoes that 
might represent abnormal areas.
c.. A CA 125 test is not effective as a screening tool to catch ovarian 
cancer at an earlier and more curable stage. A proper diagnosis of ovarian 
cancer involves interpreting the results of the CA 125 blood test in 
conjunction with the above examinations.
- Source: Ovarian Cancer Canada

 
SIDEBAR 3
 
FACTS:
 
a.. Surgery is the only definitive way to rule out ovarian cancer
b.. Ovarian cancer is the most serious of all gynecological cancers
c.. Over 2,500 Canadian women are diagnosed with the disease every year
d.. Every year 1,700 women succumb to the disease
e.. There is no screening test to detect it. But when found early and 
treated, the ovarian cancer survival rate is 90 per cent
f.. There is a lifetime risk of 1 in 70 that you will develop ovarian 
cancer
g.. Many doctors are unfamiliar with the signs and symptoms of ovarian 
cancer and fail to consider it as a possible diagnosis
h.. Failure to find the disease in its early stages is partly due to the 
lack of sensitive detection tests, and health care providers and women 
themselves may ignore warning symptoms
i.. A Pap smear does not detect ovarian cancer
j.. HPV vaccine helps prevent cervical cancer, not ovarian cancer
k.. Pain in the abdomen is not necessarily a symptom of ovarian cancer; 
even if you have no pain, your doctor cannot rule out ovarian cancer
l.. Even though ovarian cancer is known as the "the silent killer," or 
``the disease that whispers,'' the majority of women with ovarian cancer 
report symptoms, including women diagnosed at an early stage
m.. Ovarian cancer rates rise after menopause, peaking from age 60-75, 
although it can occur at any age
n.. The hereditary form, found in families where many close relatives have 
had breast and/or ovarian cancer, tends to occur at an earlier age
- Source: Ovarian Cancer Canada