Symptoms include sores that do not heal, bleeding, a lump or thickening in the mouth, and a persistent red or white patch. Radiation therapy and surgery are the primary methods of treatment. If the disease has reached an advanced state, chemotherapy may be added to the treatment plan. Ovarian Cancer A particularly difficult and aggressive cancer because there are no early warning signs, ovarian cancer causes more deaths than another other cancer of the female reproductive system. Since the Pap test rarely detects ovarian cancer, periodic pelvic examinations by a professional are very important.
Risk increases with age.
Women with a family history of ovarian or breast cancer are at increased risk, as are women who have had breast cancer, themselves. Pregnancy and the use of oral contraceptives may reduce the risk. In very early tumors, the removal of only the involved ovary may be involved. In advanced cases, surgery to remove both ovaries and fallopian tubes is often used in combination with chemotherapy or radiation therapy. Little knowledge exists of its cause, although smoking is a risk factor.