Question

A 29-year-old woman is experiencing physical discomfort but has not sought medical attention. She wants to know what the early symptoms of ovarian cancer are?

Answer

Early symptoms of ovarian cancer include:

  1. Gastrointestinal Symptoms: Perimenopausal women who frequently experience abdominal pain and loss of appetite, and who have undergone gastrointestinal examinations without discovering gastrointestinal diseases, should seek further gynecological examination. This is because ovarian tumors may compress surrounding ligaments, causing ascites stimulation, which often leads to the recurrence of gastrointestinal symptoms.
  2. Lower Back and Abdominal Pain: When tissues adjacent to the ovaries are invaded or re-adhered by cancer cells, they are prone to cause lower back and abdominal dull or aching pain.
  3. Vulvar and Lower Limb Edema: As the ovarian cancer tumor shrinks, pelvic veins are compressed, leading to poor blood flow, obstructing lymphatic return, which can cause edema in the vulva and lower limbs.