{"id":12422,"date":"2025-09-26T14:32:11","date_gmt":"2025-09-26T14:32:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/jamaicahospital.org\/newsletter\/?p=12422"},"modified":"2025-09-26T14:32:11","modified_gmt":"2025-09-26T14:32:11","slug":"ovarian-cancer-awareness-month-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/jamaicahospital.org\/newsletter\/ovarian-cancer-awareness-month-2\/","title":{"rendered":"Ovarian Cancer Awareness Month"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><a href=\"https:\/\/jamaicahospital.org\/newsletter\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/GettyImages-1412620969.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-12423 alignright\" src=\"https:\/\/jamaicahospital.org\/newsletter\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/GettyImages-1412620969-300x175.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"175\" srcset=\"https:\/\/jamaicahospital.org\/newsletter\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/GettyImages-1412620969-300x175.jpg 300w, https:\/\/jamaicahospital.org\/newsletter\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/GettyImages-1412620969-1024x597.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/jamaicahospital.org\/newsletter\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/GettyImages-1412620969-768x448.jpg 768w, https:\/\/jamaicahospital.org\/newsletter\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/GettyImages-1412620969-1536x896.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/jamaicahospital.org\/newsletter\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/GettyImages-1412620969-2048x1195.jpg 2048w, https:\/\/jamaicahospital.org\/newsletter\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/GettyImages-1412620969-500x292.jpg 500w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/a>September is Ovarian Cancer Awareness Month, a month to raise awareness, shine a light on ovarian cancer, and amplify the voices of those in the community who have experienced this disease.<\/p>\n<p>Ovarian cancer is a growth of cells that forms in the ovaries. The cells multiply quickly and can invade and destroy healthy body tissue. It is the deadliest of all gynecologic cancers.<\/p>\n<p>Types of ovarian cancer include:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Epithelial ovarian cancer- this type is the most common. It includes several subtypes, such as serous carcinoma and mucinous carcinoma.<\/li>\n<li>Stromal tumors- this type includes rare tumors that are usually diagnosed at an earlier stage than other ovarian cancers.<\/li>\n<li>Germ cell tumors- these types of rare ovarian cancers tend to occur at a younger age.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>When ovarian cancer first develops, the signs and symptoms are subtle, which makes the disease difficult to detect in the early stages (I-II). This is why only 20% of ovarian cancer cases are diagnosed in the early stages. Often, symptoms don\u2019t appear until the disease is in its advanced stages (III-IV). When ovarian cancer symptoms do occur, they\u2019re usually attributed to other, more common conditions. Signs and symptoms of ovarian cancer may include:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Abdominal bloating or swelling<\/li>\n<li>Quickly feeling full when eating<\/li>\n<li>Weight loss<\/li>\n<li>Discomfort in the pelvic area<\/li>\n<li>Fatigue<\/li>\n<li>Back pain<\/li>\n<li>Changes in bowel habits<\/li>\n<li>A frequent need to urinate<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Several factors can increase your risk of ovarian cancer, including:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Older age<\/li>\n<li>Inherited gene changes<\/li>\n<li>Family history of ovarian cancer<\/li>\n<li>Being overweight or obese<\/li>\n<li>Postmenopausal hormone replacement therapy<\/li>\n<li>Endometriosis<\/li>\n<li>Age when menstruation started and ended<\/li>\n<li>Never having been pregnant<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>There is no sure way to prevent ovarian cancer. However, there may be ways to reduce your risk, including:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Considering taking birth control pills<\/li>\n<li>Discussing risk factors with your healthcare provider<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Several tests and procedures can be performed to diagnose ovarian cancer. They include:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>A pelvic exam<\/li>\n<li>Imaging tests<\/li>\n<li>Blood tests<\/li>\n<li>Surgery<\/li>\n<li>Genetic testing<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>The type of cell where the cancer begins determines the type of ovarian cancer you have and helps your healthcare provider decide on the best treatment options for you.<\/p>\n<p>Once it is confirmed that you have ovarian cancer, your healthcare provider will use the information from your tests and procedures to assign your cancer a stage. The lowest stage, stage I, indicates that the cancer is confined to the ovaries. By stage IV, the cancer has spread to distant areas of the body.<\/p>\n<p>Treatment of ovarian cancer usually involves a combination of surgery and chemotherapy. Other treatments may be used in certain situations.<\/p>\n<p>Surgical operations to remove ovarian cancer include:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Surgery to remove one ovary<\/li>\n<li>Surgery to remove both ovaries<\/li>\n<li>Surgery to remove both ovaries and the uterus<\/li>\n<li>Surgery for advanced cancer<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Chemotherapy is often used after surgery to kill any cancer cells that might remain, but it can also be used before surgery.<\/p>\n<p>Other therapy treatments for ovarian cancer can include:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Targeted therapy<\/li>\n<li>Hormone therapy<\/li>\n<li>Immunotherapy<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Palliative care is another treatment option as it focuses on providing relief from pain and other symptoms of a serious illness and can be used while undergoing other aggressive treatments such as surgery and chemotherapy.<\/p>\n<p>To schedule an appointment with an oncologist at our MediSys Health Network Cancer Center, or to learn more about our cancer care program, please call (718) 206-6742.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p class=\"disclaimer\">All content of this newsletter is intended for general information purposes only and is not intended or implied to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment.  Please consult a medical professional before adopting any of the suggestions on this page.   You must never disregard professional medical advice or delay seeking medical treatment based upon any content of this newsletter.<strong>  PROMPTLY CONSULT YOUR PHYSICIAN OR CALL 911 IF YOU BELIEVE YOU HAVE A MEDICAL EMERGENCY.<\/strong> <\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>September is Ovarian Cancer Awareness Month, a month to raise awareness, shine a light on ovarian cancer, and amplify the voices of those in the community who have experienced this disease. Ovarian cancer is a growth of cells that forms &hellip; <a href=\"https:\/\/jamaicahospital.org\/newsletter\/ovarian-cancer-awareness-month-2\/\">Continue reading <span class=\"meta-nav\">&rarr;<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":43,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2097,5,1,61,324,4],"tags":[362,2229,2228,473],"class_list":["post-12422","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-cancer","category-general-health","category-health","category-lifestyle","category-observance","category-womens-health","tag-cancer","tag-ovarian-cancer","tag-ovarian-cancer-awareness-month","tag-womens-health"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/jamaicahospital.org\/newsletter\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12422","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/jamaicahospital.org\/newsletter\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/jamaicahospital.org\/newsletter\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/jamaicahospital.org\/newsletter\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/43"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/jamaicahospital.org\/newsletter\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=12422"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/jamaicahospital.org\/newsletter\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12422\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":12424,"href":"https:\/\/jamaicahospital.org\/newsletter\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12422\/revisions\/12424"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/jamaicahospital.org\/newsletter\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=12422"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/jamaicahospital.org\/newsletter\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=12422"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/jamaicahospital.org\/newsletter\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=12422"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}