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Ovarian Cancer

Understanding the FactsIngrid Adams, Nutrition and Food Science

Did you know?•In2009therewere21,550

newcasesofovariancancerand14,600womendiedfromthedisease.

•Theriskofovariancancerin-creasesaswomengetolder.

•Ovariancancerisoftendiag-nosedinthelatestagesbe-causethereareoftennosignsorsymptomsuntilthecancerhasspread.

Good news•Whenovariancancerisfound

intheearlystages,treat-mentismosteffectiveandthechancesforrecoveryareimproved.

•Itisimportantforawomantopayattentiontoherbodysothatsheknowswhatisnor-malorwhatisoutoftheordi-nary.Noticingchangesmakesearlydetectionpossible.

How do I know if I am at risk for ovarian cancer?

Thecauseofovariancancerisnotknown,butcertainfactorshelpyouknowifyouareatriskfordevelopingthedisease:

•Youareage50orolder.Mostcancersdevelopaftermeno-pause.

•Youhaveclosefamilymem-berssuchasyourmother,sister,auntordaughterwhohavehadovariancancer.

•Youhavehadbreast,uterine,orcolorectal(colon)cancer.

•Youhavenevergivenbirthoryouhavehadtroublegettingpregnant.

What are some symptoms of ovarian cancer?

Youshouldseeyourdoctorifyouhavethesesignsor symp-tomseverydayforaperiodoftwoweeks,ifthefollowingsymptomsarenotnormaltoyou,orifthesymptomsworsen.

•Paininyourbellyorpelvis(theareabelowyourstomachandbetweenyourhipbones)

•Backpain

•Beingtiredallthetime

•Bloating(yourbellyfeelsfullandtightorisswollen)

•Havingdifficultyeatingoralwaysfeelingfull

•Dischargeorbleedingfromyourvaginathatisnotnor-malforyou

Thesesymptomsareoftencausedbysomethingotherthancancer,butonlyadoctorcantellforsure.

What is ovarian cancer? Ovarian cancer occurs when cells in one or both ovaries grow out of control. Ovarian cancer can spread to other parts of the body if it is not found early.

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How can I detect ovarian cancer early?

Thereisnosimplewaytotestforovariancancerin women who do not have any symp-toms.ThePaptestdoesnotcheckforovariancancer,buttherearestepsyoucantake:

•Payattentiontoyourbody,andknowwhatisnormalforyou.

•Ifyounoticeanychangesinyourbodythatarenotnormalforyouandcouldbeasignofovariancancer,talktoyourdoctoraboutthemandaskaboutpossiblecauses.

•Jointhemorethan35,000womeninthefreeUKOvar-ianCancerScreeningPro-gram.Call800-766-8279orgotohttp://ovarianscreening.infoformoreinformation.

What can I do to prevent ovarian cancer?

Aswitheverythinginlifethereisnosurewaytopreventovar-iancancer,buttherearethingsthatyoucandotodecreaseyourchancesofgettingcancer.

DIETThefoodsyoueatareimportant

foryourgeneralhealthandwellbeing.Thefollowingfoodsmayhelppreventcancer.

•Fruits.Trytoeat1½cupsoffruiteveryday.Forexample,havesomeslicedbananawithyourbreakfastcereal;haveanappleor½cupoffruitwithyourlunch;eatsomeblueberriesasasnack.

•Vegetables.Eat2½to3cupsofvegetablesdaily.Includedarkgreenleafyveggies,squash,sweetpotatoes,car-rots,broccoliandcauliflowerinyourvegetablechoices.Studiesshowthattheseveg-giesmayprotectfromdiffer-enttypesofcancers.

−Trytoincludetheseveg-etablesateachmealandforasnack.

−Addspinachtoanomelet.

−Servetwovegetablesfordinner.Thiscouldmeanservingasaladandacookedvegetable.

−Usedarkgreenleafyveg-etablessuchasspinachandleaflettuceasthebaseofyoursalad.

•Whole grain.Usemorewhole-grainproductssuchaswhole-wheatbread,oat-meal,brownriceorcornmeal.Checkthelabeltomakesurethefirstingredientisawholegrain.

•Meat.Limittheamountofredmeatandprocessedfoodssuchasbaconorhotdogs.

•Fats.Usehealthyfatssuchasoliveoilandcanolaoilinsaladdressingsandincooking.

EXERCISEBeinvolvedinphysicalactiv-

ityfor30minutesonfiveormoredaysoftheweek.Walkingisanexcellentexercise.Takingpartinphysicalactivityhelpstomain-tainyourmusclessoyoucankeepdoingthethingsyouneedtodo.

ACHIEVE A HEALTHY WEIGHTToachieveahealthyweight,

youneedtobalancethefoodyoueatwithphysicalactivity.Ifyouneedtoloseweight,aimtoloseonepoundperweek.Slowerisbetterwithweightloss.Focusonalifelongcommitmentofeatinghealthyandmovingmore.Re-member,healthyweightisnotadietbutalifestyle.

Suggestions for ovarian cancer survivorsWecanlearnalotfromtheexperiencesofotherswhohavewalkeda

certainpathinlife.Acaseinpoint:Womenwhohavesurvivedovariancancersharetheirexperiencestoshowhowtheyovercamethechal-lenge.

•Realizethatyouarepreciousandyourlifeisprecious.Youhavetodowhatisneededtotakecareofyourself!

•Beproactiveinyourhealthcare.

•Makeuseofeverytestavailabletodetectthedisease.

•Surroundyourselfwithfriendsandfamily.

•Educateothersontheimportanceofyearlycheck-ups.

ResourcesOvarianCancerNational

Alliance(www.ovariancancer.org)

TheUniversityofKentuckyOvarianCancerScreeningResearchProgram(http://ovarianscreening.info/or800-766-8279)

Women’sCancerNetwork(www.wcn.org),developedbytheGynecologicCancerFoun-dationtoinformwomenaboutgynecologicalcancers

Educational programs of Kentucky Cooperative Extension serve all people regardless of race, color, age, sex, religion, disability, or national origin. Issued in furtherance of Cooperative Extension work, Acts of May 8 and June 30, 1914, in cooperation with the U.S. Department of Agriculture, M. Scott Smith, Director, Land Grant Programs, University of Kentucky College of Agriculture, Lexington, and Kentucky State University, Frankfort. Copyright © 2010 for materials developed by University of Kentucky Cooperative Extension. This publication may be reproduced in portions or its entirety for educa-tional or nonprofit purposes only. Permitted users shall give credit to the author(s) and include this copyright notice. Publications are also available on the World Wide Web at www.ca.uky.edu.

Issued 8-2010

ReferencesAmericanCancerSociety.De-

tailedGuide:OvarianCan-cer.AccessedApril1,2010fromhttp://www.cancer.org/docroot/CRI/content/CRI_2_4_2X_What_are_the_risk_factors_for_ovarian_can-cer_33.asp.

CentersforDiseaseControlandPrevention.Physicalactivityforeveryone.AccessedMarch30,2010fromhttp://www.cdc.gov/physicalactivity/everyone/guidelines/olderadults.html.

NationalCancerInstitute.Ovar-ianCancer.AccessedMarch30,2010fromhttp://www.cancer.gov/cancertopics/types/ovarian.

TheAmericanDieteticsAssocia-tion.DietaryFactorsInflu-enceOvarianCancerSurvivalRates.AccessedMarch30,2010fromhttp://www.eat-right.org/Media/content.aspx?id=6442451093.

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