These symptoms may be causes by cancer or by other, less serious conditions. Only a doctor can tell for sure. To find the cause of any of these symptoms, the doctor asks about the woman's medical history and does a careful physical exam, including a pelvic exam. The only sure way to know if cancer is present is for a pathologist to analyze the tissue under the microscope after it is removed from the body. If cancer is found at this time, the surgeon proceeds with surgery.
Most health problems respond best to treatment when they are found early.
Women who have regular pelvic exams may increase the chance that, if ovarian cancer occurs, it will be found before the disease causes symptoms. However, pelvic exams often cannot find ovarian cancer at an early stage. Scientists are trying to find better ways to detect ovarian cancer earlier, when treatment may be more successful. Often, the doctor orders a blood test to measure a substance in the blood called CA-125 . This substance, called a tumor marker, can be produced by ovarian cancer cells.