Knowledge is power. The first step to getting proper treatment for gynecological cancers is understanding your diagnosis.
“Endometrial cancer is the most common gynecologic malignancy,” explains Dr. P. Gill, OBGYN at Gill Obstetrics & Gynecology Medical Group, Inc. “With an estimated 37,000 new cases last year in the United States, it is the fourth most common malignancy among women. Seventy-five percent of cases occur in the postmenopausal years.”
Ovarian cancer is less common than endometrial cancer but is often a more serious diagnosis. “More women die of ovarian cancer than all other forms of gynecological cancers combined,” Dr. Gill says. “Unlike endometrial cancer, ovarian cancer is often not detected until it has already spread to other parts of the body.”
If you receive an endometrial cancer diagnosis rest assured that most women with this type of cancer undergo a hysterectomy, removal of ovaries and of lymph nodes, and in most cases if the cancer has not spread, no other treatment is needed.
“Most women with endometrial cancer will be cured if they receive appropriate treatment,” she says. However, if the cancer has spread, additional radiation treatment may be needed.
Like endometrial cancer, surgery is almost always the first step for treatment of ovarian cancer, as well. “For most women, this will include a hysterectomy with removal of ovaries, lymph nodes, and omentum (a pad of fat cells that covers the stomach and intestines),” Dr. Gill says. Some early ovarian cancers require only surgery for treatment but the majority of women will need chemotherapy based on the type and extent of spread of ovarian cancer.”
Sometimes the statistics help put a patient’s mind at ease, others may find them counterproductive.
“Early ovarian cancer without spread at the time of diagnosis can be ‘cured’ in up to 95 percent of women. Unfortunately 70 percent of ovarian cancers are detected after spread has occurred. For these women, treatment has 80 percent chance of remission.” When the disease is advanced relapse is common from months to years after treatment, and while these instances are treatable, there is no cure for relapsed ovarian cancer.
If you experience irregular bleeding or have concerns about your gynecological health, see your doctor. The physicians at Gill Obstetrics & Gynecology Medical Group, Inc. are committed to providing the highest quality of care for patients with more than 60 years of experience. Additionally, they have forged a unique collaboration with the GYN Oncologists at UC Davis Medical Center to provide cancer patients with the best treatment options available.
Gill Obstetrics & Gynecology Medical Group
Param K. Gill, M.D., F.A.C.O.G.
Diplomate of the American Board of OBGYN
Locations in Stockton, Lodi & Manteca
(209) 466-8546, (209) 334-4924
GillObgyn.com