Status: May 03, 2023

Since 2016, the German Ovarian Cancer Foundation has been organizing the Global Ovarian Cancer Action Day every year. The aim is to raise awareness of this life-threatening and still relatively unknown cancer and to remove the taboo surrounding it. The motto: "Let's talk about ovarian cancer". The CCC Hannover supports the campaign.

Ovarian cancer is also called ovarian carcinoma by experts. It is a malignant tumor of the ovaries. It is the second most common malignant disease of the female reproductive organs. In Germany, around 7,300 women are diagnosed with it every year. The incidence of the disease increases with age. As there are no symptoms for a long time, ovarian cancer is often only discovered at a very advanced stage. Surgery is then the most important treatment, which is usually supplemented by chemotherapy.

What are risk factors for ovarian cancer?

Research has identified factors that statistically increase the risk of developing the disease. In addition to older age, these include Childlessness, infertility, hormone therapy after the menopause and obesity. According to studies, hereditary factors play a role in one in four to five cases of ovarian cancer. Close relatives often also have breast or ovarian cancer, pancreatic cancer or prostate cancer.

Important to know: To date, it has not been shown that early detection examinations, e.g. by ultrasound or tumor marker examinations, reduce mortality. For this reason, German and international specialist associations do not recommend general screening.

What symptoms can indicate ovarian cancer?

In the early stages, the symptoms are usually very general and uncharacteristic, so they may have a completely different cause. The symptoms include

• vague digestive complaints (stomach pain, bloating, flatulence, increasing abdominal girth) for which there is no other explanation,
• more frequent urination than usual,
• unexplained weight loss, especially weight loss with increasing abdominal girth.

If these symptoms recur or persist, women should have them checked by their family physician or gynecologist, especially if they are over 50 years old.