© 2004 by Oxford University Press
© 2004 Oxford University Press
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In Brief
Ovarian Cancer Patients Show Patterns of Symptoms Prior to Diagnosis
Patients diagnosed with ovarian cancer experience patterns of symptoms that begin early and are more frequent and severe than expected, according to a new study.
In the June 9 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association, Barbara A. Goff, M.D., of the University of Washington School of Medicine in Seattle, and colleagues reported the results of a prospective case–control study of 128 women with pelvic masses (84 later diagnosed as benign, 44 as malignant) and 1,709 control women without diagnosed ovarian abnormalities. The women were given a survey that asked about severity, duration, and frequency of various symptoms experienced over the previous year.
Compared with the control women, ovarian cancer patients were 7.4 times more likely to have an increased abdominal size, 3.6 times more likely to experience bloating, 2.5 times more likely to experience urinary urgency, and 2.2 times more likely to experience pelvic pain. Although all women studied had many symptoms, those later diagnosed with ovarian cancer experienced more symptoms more frequently in addition to more symptoms of greater severity and that occurred more recently than women in the control group.
In an editorial, Mary B. Daly, M.D., Ph.D., and Robert F. Ozols, M.D., Ph.D., of the Fox Chase Cancer Center in Philadelphia, wrote that the real importance of the study lies in "the reinforcement of the need for an ongoing process of communication between patients and their physicians."
See also News, Vol. 96, No. 2, p. 96, "For Ovarian Cancer, An Optimal Treatment Remains To Be Found."
Annual Report to the Nation Shows Continued Decline in Cancer Death Rates
Cancer incidence and death rates in the United States are continuing to decline, according to the latest Annual Report to the Nation on the Status of Cancer. (See also Stat Bite, p. 987.)
Overall rates of cancer incidence declined 0.5% per year between 1991 and 2001. In men, cancer incidence rates declined for seven of the top 15 cancers (colon, larynx, leukemia, lung, oral cavity, pancreas, and stomach) and increased for only four (cancers of the esophagus, kidney, and prostate and melanoma). In women, the rate of lung cancer incidence declined for the first time. Five other cancer sites, out of the top 15, also saw a decline in incidence (cervix, colon, oral cavity, ovary, and pancreas), while five saw an increase (cancers of the bladder, breast, kidney, and thyroid and melanoma).
Overall rates of cancer death dropped 1.1% per year between 1993 and 2001. Rates of cancer death also decreased for many of the top 15 cancer sites in both men and women. In addition, there were large gains in 5-year survival rates for many of the most common cancers.
The report was published online June 3 in the journal Cancer.
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