The ovaries are the part of a woman's reproductive system that are located in the pelvis and approximately the size of an almond. The ovaries are responsible for making the female hormones estrogen and progesterone, as well as releasing an egg during each reproductive cycle. Aggressive ovarian cancer is cancer that begins in the ovaries and can quickly and rapidly metastasize to other parts of the body. According to MedlinePlus, a service of the National Institutes of Health, aggressive ovarian cancer causes more deaths than any other type of reproductive cancer and is the fifth most common cancer in women.
Risk Factors
A number of factors increase a woman's risk of developing aggressive ovarian cancer. One of these factors is genetics. Women with mutations of the BRCA1 gene have a 35 to 70 percent increased risk, whereas women with mutations of the BRCA2 gene have a 10 to 30 percent increase in the risk of developing ovarian cancer, according to MayoClinic.com. Infertility also poses an increased risk for developing ovarian cancer. Women who have never been pregnant or had a child are at an increased risk. Advancing age also puts women at an increased risk, since most cases of ovarian cancer occur after a woman has gone through menopause.
Symptoms
In its initial stages, ovarian cancer does not usually cause any symptoms. MedlinePlus notes that aggressive ovarian cancer is not usually diagnosed until it has spread to other parts of the body and caused more significant damage to the body. When symptoms of ovarian cancer do occur, they are often similar to symptoms of other diseases as well. These symptoms include bloating, premature fullness during meals, pain in the pelvis or abdomen, abnormal menstrual cycles, changes in bowel habits, vaginal bleeding and unexplained changes in weight.
Diagnosis
When aggressive ovarian cancer is suspected, a pelvic ultrasound may be performed. During a pelvic ultrasound, high-frequency sound waves will be used to produce images of the inside of the body. A pelvic ultrasound can determine if there is a growth in the ovaries, but cannot determine whether that growth is cancerous, according to MayoClinic.com. If a growth is found, it will be surgically removed and a biopsy will be performed. If the growth is determined to be cancerous, treatment will follow. A blood test may also be used to detect levels of a certain protein in the blood that is usually high in those with ovarian cancer.
Treatment
Treatment for aggressive ovarian cancer usually consists of surgery and chemotherapy. During surgery, the surgeon will remove the ovaries, fallopian tubes, uterus and lymph nodes. The surgeon will also remove tissue samples from the pelvis and abdomen to test these areas for cancer. Chemotherapy is a combination of anti-cancer drugs that may be administered orally, intravenously or directly into the abdomen. The National Cancer Institute notes that radiation therapy is rarely used in the treatment of aggressive ovarian cancer.
Prognosis
The prognosis for aggressive ovarian cancer is poor. According to MedlinePlus, approximately 76 percent of women survive one year after diagnosis and only 45 percent survive longer than five years after diagnosis.
