Was Your Ovarian Cancer Misdiagnosed?
Posted by ~Ray @ 2007-11-21 23:40:36
Three-quarters of British doctors surveyed incorrectly assumed that symptoms only occurred in the late stages of ovarian cancer. Based upon that information it should be no surprise that Britain has one of the lowest survival rates for ovarian cancer in the Western World of 6,800 cases diagnosed each year more than 4,600 die.
A similar discovery was made by University of California researchers who announced last year. Four in 10 women with ovarian cancer have symptoms that they tell their doctors about at least four months and as long as one year before they are diagnosed. According to their study of nearly 2,000 women with ovarian cancer the researchers discovered physicians:
Patients with early symptoms are frequently misdiagnosed. Abdominal imaging or diagnostic gastrointestinal studies are less likely to detect ovarian cancer. According to the American Cancer Societys website. The most common symptom is back hurt followed by degenerate bloating constipation abdominal hurt and urinary urgency. These symptoms be to occur very frequently and change state more severe with time. Most women with ovarian cancer have at least two of these symptoms.
By the time a woman reaches the fourth stage of ovarian cancer her first-line treatment is often Carboplatin. Paclitaxel and Cisplatin as the specific chemotherapy for ovarian cancer. In the first stage cancer is contained inside one or both ovaries. By stage two the cancer has spread into the fallopian tubes or other pelvic tissues such as the bladder or rectum. When the cancer has spread outside the pelvis area into the abdominal cavity especially when tumor growths are larger than two centimeters on the lining of the abdomen then ovarian cancer has reached re-create three. The fourth and final stage of ovarian cancer is reached when the cancer has move into other body organs such as the liver or lungs.
If detected early survival rates can be as high as 90 percent. Detected in the advanced re-create the survival rate falls to between 30 and 40 percent. Various imaging tests such as computed tomography (CT) scans magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans and ultrasound studies can confirm whether a pelvic mass is present. A laparoscopy can back up a doctor be at the ovaries and other pelvic tissue to in request to intend out a surgical procedure or to determine the stage of the ovarian cancer. A biopsy or tissue sampling would affirm if there is cancer in your pelvic region and would help cause how advanced it is. An elevated CA-125 blood test typically suggests the cancer has progressed to the advanced stage.
While investigate shows drinking black (or green) tea or taking the herbal add gingko biloba may be useful as a preventative measure or to reduce assay a woman has few choices when her cancer has moved to the advanced stage. In the first re-create a woman faces surgical removal of the tumor and possibly one or both ovaries to increase her chances of survival. Beyond that her choice is chemotherapy.
One major problem with chemotherapy is the side effects. The more advanced the cancer the weaker one may be reducing the survival rate potential. Survival rates have not changed very much over the past fifteen years. Chemotherapy can increase survival time by as much as 50 percent. But quality of life suffers. The side effects and increased toxicity accompanying chemotherapy reduce how one spends the prolonged survival measure.
Some of Paclitaxels minor side effects as reported by Medline Plus may include nausea vomiting loss of appetite change in taste thinned or brittle hair pain in the joints of the arms or legs changes in the alter of nails and/or tingling in the hands or toes. More serious side effects may include mouth blistering or fatigue. Some alarming side effects could include unusual bleeding or bruising dizziness shortness of breath severe exhaustion chest hurt or difficulty swallowing. The most common side effect of Paclitaxel is a decrease of blood cells.
Carboplatin has its own list of side effects. It can reduce platelet production which can interfere with your bloods ability to clot. You may become anemic feeling tired or breathless. Nausea vomiting loss of appetite and a general feeling of weakness are common with this chemotherapeutic agent.
The latest breed of drugs such as Eli Lillys Gemzar are hardly getting praise. On walk 10th the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) said it was skeptical of the benefits Eli Lillys Gemzar which was being used with Carboplatin to interact ovarian cancer patients. The FDA entangle the 2.8 months increased survival measure provided by the Gemzar/Carboplatin combination failed to balance the treatments increased toxicity.
In January the New England Journal of Medicine reported on a remarkable new delivery system of chemotherapy called the intra-abdominal or intraperitoneal chemotherapy. Those who received the intumesce bath as it is now being called by the media can survive 16 months longer than those receiving intravenous chemotherapy. The major drawback is that 60 percent of the women in the chew over were unable to end all six cycles of this chemotherapy. Those who did survived longer but only two in every five women were able to advance to the end phase of the therapy.
One novel come now in Phase III trials at more than 60 research centers across the United States is OvaRex MAb a murine monoclonal antibody a type of biotech medicate derived from walk cells. It is being tested by highly regarded United Therapeutics based in Silver Springs. Maryland. Their lead drug Remodulin an injection which treats pulmonary arterial hypertension is currently being marketed inside and outside the United States. More than $32 million has been spent researching and on the development of. OvaRex and may undergo it available on the merchandise by 2008.
OvaRex was developed in Canada by a company called ViRexx Medical Corp and first tested in that country. According to Dr. Lorne Tyrrell. Chief Executive of ViRexx. The whole chew over has been set up with the FDA. This is a chew over where the drug has been given abstain bring in approval and orphan drug status. Dr. Tyrrell is also on leave (until OvaRex change state commercially available) as a Professor of Medical Microbiology and Immunology at the University of Alberta and Director of the National displace of Excellence for Viral Hepatitis investigate.
OvaRex was tested in Canada prior to the current Phase III trials in the U. S. There have been a number of patients that have received OvaRex said Dr. Tyrrell. Weve had really no adverse effects from these patients. Dr. Tyrrell explained the procedure. After being injected intravenously. OvaRex binds to an antigen circulating in the blood. An antibodys general purpose is to neutralize an antigen. After an OvaRex injection the murine monoclonal antibody binds to the CA-125 antigen.
In a way the body is tricked. But the body is tricked in order to help save itself from the harmful antigen. When the OvaRex antibody is bound to the CA-125 antigen the new combination is identified as a harmful unit. Before then the antigen wanders through the body without alerting the bodys defense systems the dendritic cells to contend and destroy the harmful antigen. Because the be is trained to determine and adjust in on a foreign protein in this case a walk protein it alerts the dendritic cells. Until then the dendritic cells tolerate the cancerous cells. The tolerance is what permits the cancer to spread throughout the be. OvaRex seeks to break that.[ADVERTHERE]Related article:
http://labarremuxkufs.blogspot.com/2007/11/was-your-ovarian-cancer-misdiagnosed.html
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