Symptoms sign of ovarian cancer
11:00am Tuesday 4th February 2014 in Health Bradford Telegraph and Argus: Photograph of the Author By Helen Mead, T&A Reporter
Bradford Telegraph and Argus: Janette Oljanuk, who had two ovarian tumours removed
Janette Oljanuk, who had two ovarian tumours removed
When Janette Oljanuk began to feel unwell she thought there was a simple explanation.
“It was Christmas 2012 when I started to feel bloated and tired,” she says. “I had a horse at the time and I put it down to the early starts at the stable, mucking out.”
The primary school learning mentor, who lives in Wibsey, thought the menopause was also having an effect. “I assumed it was a combination of these things,” she adds.
“But over the next six months I became more and more tired and my stomach got bigger. I thought it was maybe my age, that it was just one of those things.”
Eventually, the discomfort and exhaustion led her to visit the local accident and emergency unit. “The doctor told me to go to my GP and ask for a C125 test which looks for a chemical called CA125 in the blood. This is produced by some ovarian cancer cells, and a very high level may mean you have the condition,” says Janette.
The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) has produced guidance that advises GPs to test for CA125 if a patient frequently experiences symptoms including bloating, feeling full quickly, loss of appetite and the need to urinate urgently or regularly.
These symptoms can suggest irritable bowel syndrome, and the guidance directs testing to be carried out particularly on women aged over 50.
But Janette, now 47, was below that age. At the doctor’s, she “demanded” a blood test. “The doctor wanted me to come back for a smear test, but that would not have picked up any signs of ovarian cancer,” she says.
The day after her test, the mother-of-three grown-up children received an urgent call from the surgery. She was directed to attend Bradford Royal Infirmary for a scan. “Afterwards a consultant told me I had an 11cm tumour in my left ovary,” she says, “I was so shocked.”
Six weeks later, she had an operation at St James’s Hospital in Leeds. “The cancer was at an early stage, but it had quickly progressed to a more advanced stage,” she says. “They found that I had it in both ovaries, the left was 13cm and the right 11cm. It had also spread to my bowel and pelvis.”
The tumours were so large they had pushed against Janette’s stomach and lungs. “I was in agony and was having difficulty breathing,” she says. She was taken to the operating theatre at 9am, where surgeons operated for five hours.”
The outcome for women with ovarian cancer is generally poor, say NICE, with an overall five-year survival rate of less than 35 per cent. This is because most women are not diagnosed until the disease has reached advanced stages.
The stage of the disease is the most important factor affecting the outcome, with the woman’s general health also being important as it affects what treatments can be used.
Most women have symptoms for months before seeking advice and there are often delays before specialist referral.
Janette was fortunate. “They removed it all,” she says, “I was also determined to beat it – I had my first grandchild at Christmas and I was adamant that I would see him go to school.”
Janette sought help from the national charity Ovacome, which provides advice and support to women with ovarian cancer. Now she is trying to raise awareness of the disease.
“People know how to check for breast cancer, but I didn’t know any of the signs for ovarian cancer.”
Janette, who has to have blood tests three times a year, is passing on advice through internet forums My Ovacome and Health Unlocked, as well as her Facebook page. She also wants to draw attention to an online petition set up by a Derbyshire woman – epetitions.direct.gov.uk/petitions/57703.
For more information, visit nhs.uk/Conditions/Cancer-of-the-ovary and ovacome.org.uk. A free, nurse-led service offering confidential information and emotional support to anyone affected by ovarian cancer is on 0845 3710554, support@ovacome.org.uk or healthunlocked.com.
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