Professor Aliya B Aziz, consultant obstetrician and gynaecologist at the Aga Khan University Hospital, has said that ovarian cancer frequently inflicts Pakistani women and kills more women than all the other gynaecological concerns combined.
She was giving a presentation on "Ovarian Cancer" at the monthly public health awareness programme at the AKU on Saturday.
Professor Aliya said gynaecological cancer could be treated successfully when diagnosed before spreading outside the ovaries and if it does spread ninety five percent of the patients could survive for maximum five years, she added.
She said that undiagnosed patient has only 25 percent chances of survival.
"Early detection is the key to effective treatment of all cancers."
The famous consultant further informed the gathering that ovarian cancer, at an average, occurred in one out of 57 woman.
Professor Aliya said women should be aware of important symptoms. Any women who has vaginal bleeding not related to normal periods and particularly after menopause should contact her doctor without delay. If a women is experiencing abdominal pressure, bloating or discomfort, she should see her family physician immediately, she added.
She said that urinary frequency, constipation, or diarrhoea should also alert a woman for a consultation. Nausea, indigestion, gas, unusual fatigue, backaches and leg pain could also be the symptoms of ovarian cancer. Women experiencing these symptoms lasting more than two to three weeks are the reasons for consultation with a gynaecologist.
The professor said, "Women who have two or more first degree relatives with ovarian cancer; family history of ovarian cancer, breast and colon cancer; multiple exposure to fertility drugs and uninterrupted ovulation are at high risk of contracting ovarian cancer. High fat diet and talc use in feminine hygiene products can also lead to ovarian cancer and women over fifty years of age are highly vulnerable to the disease."
She said there was 45 percent less risk of developing ovarian cancer in women with multiple children as compared to women with single or no child.
Each child reduces the occurrence of the disease by ten to fifteen percent. Breast-feeding, use of oral contraceptive, tuballigation and hysterectomy can also help prevent the disease.
Dr Amyn Alidina and Dr Ghazna Siddiqui participated in the question and answer session.