What are the symptoms of ovarian cancer?
Ovarian cancer is extremely difficult to detect, especially in its early stages. This is partly due to the fact that these two small, almond-shaped organs are located deep within the abdominal cavity, on each side of the uterus. Following are some of the persistent non-specific symptoms or signs of ovarian cancer:

• unexplained change in bowel and/or bladder habits
  
• gastrointestinal upset such as gas, indigestion or nausea
  
• unexplained weight loss or gain
  
• pelvic and/or abdominal pain or discomfort
  
• pelvic and/or abdominal bloating or swelling
  
• a constant feeling of fullness
  
• fatigue
  
• abnormal or postmenopausal bleeding

Because these symptoms and potential signs of ovarian cancer are vague or “silent,” only about 10 percent of ovarian cancers are found in the early stages.

What are the statistics for ovarian cancer?
The American Cancer Society estimates that approximately 24,000 women are diagnosed with ovarian cancer each year. The majority of women, 75 percent, are diagnosed after the disease has spread throughout the abdominal cavity and reached an advanced stage (stage III or IV). Despite aggressive surgical intervention and new chemotherapeutic regimens, the overall five-year survival rate for women with advanced stage epithelial ovarian cancer has remained constant, over the past 30 years, at approximately 15 percent. In contrast, those women diagnosed with early stage (stage I) disease have an overall five-year survival rate approaching 90 percent. Clearly, detection of early ovarian cancer is the best way to improve survival.