Ovarian Cancer Essay

Words: 680
Pages: 3

Every female has two ovaries, one on either side of the uterus. Ovaries are relatively the size of an almond, and their job is to bear eggs (ova) and the hormones estrogen and progesterone. Ovarian cancer often remains under the radar until it has diffused within the pelvis and abdomen. If caught in the late stages, this cancer is troublesome to treat and often results in death. However unlikely, it is always favorable to detect ovarian cancer when it is just present in the ovaries; treatment has better odds at beating the cancer.
Early-stage ovarian cancer hardly ever shows symptoms. On the contrary, advanced stage patients can notice a couple, comprehensive symptoms that are often confused for typical, mild conditions, like irritable bowels
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When DNA is damaged in a normal cell, it corrects itself or dies, but in cancer cells the DNA isn’t fixed and the cell will not die. The damaged cell will continue to grow and produce new cells that the body has no need for. These new cells all will contain the same flawed DNA as the first unnatural cell did. Multiplying out of control and raiding other tissues are what defines a cell as a cancer cell.
The type of ovarian cancer is based on the type of cell where the cancer starts. Epithelial, stromal, and germ cell are the three types of ovarian cancer. Epithelial tumors start in the thin layer of tissue that overlays the outside of the ovaries; 90% of ovarian cancers are epithelial. Stromal tumors emerge in the ovarian tissue that encompasses hormone-producing cells. These tumors are usually detected at an earlier stage than the other types of ovarian cancer. Germ cell tumors are the rarest of the three. They commence in the egg-producing cells, and are more common in younger women. No clear cause has been identified for causing ovarian cancer. All cancers begin with a genetic mutation, and the cells rapidly multiply and form tumors. Cancer cells are also able to raid other nearby tissues and separate from an initial tumor to diffuse elsewhere in the body, also known as