Cancer symptoms: ‘Frequent’ sensations warning of a growing tumour inside of the body

Janey Godley gives update on her Ovarian cancer

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Take, for instance, ovarian cancer, where cells multiply uncontrollably in the ovaries. The NHS warned of symptoms that occur “roughly 12 or more times a month”. Feeling bloated very frequently is one possible indication of ovarian cancer that should not be ignored.

Stomach bloating

Doctor Laura Martin verified that bloating is a “feeling of fullness or tightness around your belly”.

Bloating can also lead to a swollen stomach; when it’s cancer, it’s due to a build-up of fluid inside of the abdomen – this is known as “ascites”.

The NHS added that the stomach area, including the pelvis, might feel painful or tender.

Another sensation that could be telling of ovarian cancer is having no appetite or feeling full quickly after eating.

Other sensations might include: indigestion, constipation, back pain, and fatigue.

The NHS stated: “These symptoms are very common and can be caused by many different conditions.

“But it’s still important to get them checked by a GP. This is because if they’re caused by cancer, finding it early can mean it’s more treatable.”

Cancer Research UK pointed out that more than 7,000 women are diagnosed with ovarian cancer in England, Scotland and Wales.

If diagnosed at the earliest stage, nine out of 10 will survive ovarian cancer.

However, two thirds of women are diagnosed at a later stage, resulting in around 11 women passing away from ovarian cancer every day.

To clear up a common misconception, a smear test will not detect ovarian cancer.

The charity Target Ovarian Cancer noted: “With no screening test for ovarian cancer, a woman’s route to diagnosis is key to her survival.”

Symptoms of ovarian cancer:

  • Persistent bloating – not bloating that comes and goes
  • Feeling full quickly and/or loss of appetite
  • Pelvic or abdominal pain (that’s your tummy and below)
  • Urinary symptoms (needing to wee more urgently or more often than usual).

“Other symptoms” of ovarian cancer:

  • Changes in bowel habit (eg diarrhoea or constipation)
  • Extreme fatigue (feeling very tired)
  • Unexplained weight loss
  • Any bleeding after the menopause should always be investigated by a GP.

Symptoms of ovarian cancer will be frequent (happening more than 12 times in one month), persistent, and are “not normal for you”.

Testing for ovarian cancer

The NHS certified that a blood test and are a scan are “usually done first”.

Other tests might involve a needle biopsy, where a small sample of cells from the ovaries are removed, and a laparoscopy.

A laparoscopy is when a medical professional inserts a camera at the end of a tube through a small cut in the stomach.

This procedure enables the medical professional to look into the ovaries for a sign of cancer.

Should cancer be found, the treatment plan will depend on numerous factors, such as whether the cancer has spread elsewhere in the body.

March is Ovarian Cancer Awareness Month; for more information on the disease, visit Ovarian.org.uk.

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