Experts Release Common Red Flags Of Ovarian Cancer

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by Mary Ann Childers
CHICAGO (CBS) ― Experts have issued new recommendations for women on how to catch a deadly cancer early, which could save thousands of lives every year.

CBS 2 Medical Editor Mary Ann Childers reports on the warning signs of ovarian cancer, announced Wednesday.Forty-seven-year-old Nini Lyman noticed some unusual changes in her body.

"My abdomen looked like I was three months pregnant," Lyman said.Her eating habits changed, too.

"I remember having a bowl of tomato soup and a glass of milk and it felt like I had just overeaten on Thanksgiving," she said.

She knew something wasn't right, but it took doctors two to three months to figure out it was ovarian cancer -- stage 3.

More than 22,000 new cases of ovarian cancer will be diagnosed this year, and more than 15,000 women will die of the disease.It's been called the silent killer, but, Julian Schink, M.D., chief of Northwestern Memorial Hospital's gynecologic oncology department says there are warning signs that many women and doctors often ignore.

"Ninety-five percent of women with ovarian cancer had some symptoms," Schink said.He helped develop new recommendations that spotlight the most common symptoms: bloating, pelvic or abdominal pain, difficulty eating or feeling full quickly and frequent or urgent need to urinate.

The symptoms persist for weeks and often get worse."Women know their bodies better than anyone and they should listen to their body and if they have that pain or discomfort, they should seek out medical attention," Schink said.

Lyman wants women to listen, too, so they don't have to battle cancer over and over again.

She's undergoing chemotherapy for another recurrence of cancer as she prepares to celebrate her eight year of survival.

"I am happy about that, but I want a lot more," she said.Lyman is lucky. Only 45 percent of advanced ovarian cancer patients live past five years of diagnosis. But, if caught early during stage 1, close to 90 percent survive that long.
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