Ovarian cancer is a lethal gynecologic cancer where cancerous cells are found near, inside, or on the ovaries’ outer layer.

Here are some of the causes and treatment options for ovarian cancer: 

Causes of ovarian cancer

• Increase in age
  After menopause, the chances of ovarian cancer increase furthermore. It is found that almost 8 out of 10 women who are found to have cancer of ovaries are over 50 years of age. Though, women below the age of 50 can also acquire some rare ovarian cancer types.

• Genetics
  Women who have had a family history of ovarian cancer, i.e., if they have had a sister, mother, grandmother, or aunt who has had ovarian cancer, have higher chances of developing the disease.

  Some women who have one of two genes—breast cancer gene 1 and breast cancer gene 2—are vulnerable and can have breast cancer. While women with the breast cancer gene 1 have a 35 to 70 percent chance of developing breast cancer, women with the breast cancer gene 2 have a 10 to 30 percent risk.

• Endometriosis
  Studies have observed that women who have had endometriosis have higher chances of getting cancer of the ovaries. In endometriosis, cells lining the womb develop in the stomach (abdominal region) or ovaries. Since the cells think that they are still in the womb, they cause bleeding when periods occur. There is no exit outlet for bleeding so that it can leave the body because of which it causes pain.

Treatment options for cancer of the ovaries
Treatment of ovarian cancer generally involves a combination of chemotherapy and surgery, some of which are mentioned below:

Surgical methods

• If detected at an earlier stage, only the infected ovary and the fallopian tube would be removed.
• If cancer has spread to both the ovaries and hasn’t spread further, both the ovaries may be removed.
• In case the spread of the cancer is extensive, your ovaries, uterus, fallopian tube, the surrounding lymph nodes, and omentum (fatty tissue in the abdomen) will be surgically removed.

Chemotherapy
It is mostly used after surgery to eliminate any cancerous cells that might have been left. Though, there are instances when it might be used pre-surgery as well. In chemotherapy, medications or chemicals are used to kill fast-spreading cells in the body, including cancerous cells. In some cases, the medications are injected directly into the abdominal region. This kind of chemotherapy is known as intraperitoneal chemotherapy. 

So, these were some of the causes and treatment options for ovarian cancer. Knowing about ovarian cancer is one of the primary steps to save a life. Early diagnosis means if the disease is diagnosed at an early stage, the chances of saving someone can increase up to 92 percent.