Last Tuesday night, Buffalo Bills gamer Tony Steward announced on Instagram that he lost his fiancee to ovarian cancer, simply two months after she was diagnosed along with the disease.
“You have actually the biggest heart I have actually ever seen in my entire life and I promise you that it will certainly live on in me, our family and every single soul you have actually touched,” Steward wrote in an emotional short article directed at his late fiancee, Brittany Burns. “Every single day of your life you have actually been a fighter and I already know this as a result of the unbelievable family you brought me into. We will certainly all of honor every little thing you stand for in life. I will certainly go on to be the individual that you constantly delivering out in me. Believe me as soon as I say that I deeply like you along with every ounce of every little thing in me.”
Burns was simply 26 as soon as she died, reportedly of a rare form of the cancer.
The American Cancer Society estimates that a lot more compared to 21,000 brand-new cases of ovarian cancer were diagnosed last year and a lot more compared to 14,000 women died from the disease. It’s additionally the fifth leading create of cancer death in women.
But exactly how common is it to create ovarian cancer at such a young age? “The majority of women that create it are older, However we do see it in young women,” says Lauren Streicher, M.D., an associate professor of clinical obstetrics and gynecology at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine.
Genetics can easily play a role, Streicher says, which is why it’s necessary to pay focus to your family history. Specifically, women that carry the mutations of the BRCA1 and BRCA2 genes associated along with breast cancer are at a greater risk. However, Streicher notes that they just consist of regarding twenty percent of all of ovarian cancer cases.
The serious symptoms of ovarian cancer are fairly non-specific, making it difficult to diagnose, says David Cohn, M.D., gynecologic oncology division director at The Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Focus – Arthur G. James Cancer Hospital and Richard J. Solove Research Institute. “This strongly argues for a woman paying focus to her body, knowing which signs and symptoms might indicate a problem, and communicating these clearly to her healthcare provider,” he says.
While there are several signs of the disease, Streicher says two in particular have actually been located to be important: Persistent abdominal bloating and urinating a lot more compared to usual. Streicher acknowledges that the symptoms are “actually vague,” However says the degree to which a woman experiences them is important.
“If you’re waking up each day and feeling a great deal of abdominal tension and bloating, and urinating frequently, that’s something you pay focus to,” she says. “It might be nil However the majority of women along with ovarian cancer reported having those symptoms.”
Early detection is key, Cohn says: “The survival of a woman along with an ovarian cancer confined to the ovary (stage 1) is higher compared to 90 percent, whereas as soon as it has actually spread to the abdominal cavity (stage 3), the survival is much less compared to 40 percent.”
Unfortunately, there are no easy examinations for ovarian cancer, which is why it’s frequently detected in later stages. It’s not detected through a Pap smear (which detects cervical pre-cancer and cancer), However there is a blood test called “CA125” which has actually a pretty higher false negative rate, Streicher says. “Unless you’re going to grab it drawn every week, that’s not the answer either,” she says.
It’s feasible to reduced your risk of ovarian cancer, and the biggest method to do so is by using hormonal birth control, says Jason James, MD, medical director at Miami’s FemCare Ob-Gyn. “There is data to suggest that using birth manage pills can easily significantly decrease the likelihood that a woman will certainly create ovarian cancer,” he says. “Women that have actually been on them for 5 years have actually decreased odds by 50 percent.”
Maintaining a healthy and balanced diet regimen and weight is additionally important, because, along with preserving you healthy, might make you a lot more most likely to notice abdominal bloating earlier compared to somebody that is overweight, says Streicher.
Above all of else, listen to your body. If you’re experiencing constant abdominal tension and urinating a lot more compared to usual, see your doctor. And if your doctor brushes you off, grab a second opinion. “My No.1 message is that ovarian cancer can easily strike young women,” says Streicher. “Don’t panic if you’re having bloating and urinary symptoms, However don’t forget about it either.”
More from Glamour:
Photos: Getty Images
0 comments
Post a Comment