Physicians sometimes call ovarian cancer the “silent killer” because it often presents with symptoms that don’t seem to be related to the ovaries. The most common symptoms include abdominal distention, abdominal pain, and increased urinary frequency. Now, British researchers have published in the British Medical Journal the results of a study that demonstrates more symptoms that they say are associated with this disease, some of which can present months prior to a diagnosis is made. Other symptoms include postmenopausal bleeding, loss of appetite, rectal bleeding and abdominal bloating. The take home message of this news is to remind health care practitioners and the general public that seemingly common and benign symptoms – such as bloating – may, in fact, signify a potentially serious diagnosis, especially when taken together with the constellation of symptoms that can be associated with ovarian cancer. [via CBS News]
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Tags: abdomen, appetite loss, bloating, distention, ovarian cancer, Pain, rectal bleeding, urinary frequency
Dr. Steven Chang, the author of DailyDose, is a staff physician with Kosmix RightHealth. Dr. Chang practices Family Medicine at the University of California Davis Medical Center, where his medical interests include both pediatric and geriatric care, public health, gay and lesbian health, and sleep medicine. Dr. Chang trained at the Stanford University affiliated O'Connor Hospital, and was a research fellow at the National Institute of Health. He holds an M.D. from McGill University and a BA in Public Health from Johns Hopkins University.
September 1st, 2009 at 11:18 pm
good to know !!
September 2nd, 2009 at 6:32 am
I’v had all of these things happen to me, pain in my abdominal and urinary frequency wash room allot the bloating well almost all the time and i go my doctor for my yearly check up every year the only thing i did not get was the bleeding. But i have not had a and bleeding since i was 31 of age and rectal bleeding have not have. But my Mother did die of Ovarian Cancer.I will be careful and my self to the family Doctor every year.
September 4th, 2009 at 11:28 am
I have all the symptoms, including bleeding once. I told my doc
today and he says let’s see if it happens again. The bloating
means to people I know that I did, indeed, have eight pregnancies,
losing two babies before they came to term. I think I need a new doctor???