When a woman has been diagnosed with ovarian cancer, she will undergo testing to determine how advanced the cancer has gotten. This may be done several times throughout the illness to help the doctors know if treatment is working. The method includes taking tissue samples from the pelvic and abdominal area. From there, they look at the samples with a microscope to make a determination.
It is no secret that the sooner the first
ovarian cancer symptoms are diagnosed, the better the chance the woman will survive.
The Four Ovarian Cancer Stages
At the beginning of stage one, the cancer has not spread outside the ovary(ies). At the end of stage one, there is cancer on the outside of one of the ovaries but it has not yet spread to other areas.
At the beginning of stage two, the cancer has attacked other organs in the pelvic area such as any or all of the reproductive organs, the bladder and the rectum. At the end of stage two, cancer can be found in the abdomen.
At the beginning of stage three, the cancer has spread over the pelvic area, invaded the abdominal lining, and spread into lymph nodes.
At the end of stage three, the cancer can be seen as growths in the abdomen.
At the beginning of stage four, the cancer has found its way outside of the peritoneal cavity (abdominal lining) and entered the area of the liver and lungs. If cancer is found in fluid from the lungs, the patient is diagnosed with stage four. The survival rate at this stage is extremely low, but some do survive when they have hit this stage.
If the end of stage four is reached, the cancer has caused death.
When the stages are going in reverse (which is the goal of cancer treatment), this is said to be "going into remission". In fact, until a patient has survived for five years past the date of diagnosis, they are said to be in remission. A cure is not claimed until five years have passed without a reoccurrence.
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