If ovarian cancer runs in your family, you may worry that you could get it, too. But even if two close family members (such as your mother and sister) have had ovarian cancer, you still have better than a 9 in 10 chance of never getting it.

Your family's health is important in working out your own risk of getting ovarian cancer. This is because you can get

 

 

 

 

 

genes
Your genes are the parts of your cells that contain instructions for how your body works. Genes are housed on chromosomes, structures that sit in the nucleus at the middle of each of your cells. You have 23 pairs of chromosomes in your normal cells, each of which has thousands of genes. You get one set of chromosomes, and all of the genes that are on them, from each of your parents.

 

 

 

 

 

genes from your father's or mother's family that increase your risk.

But it's not just your family's history with ovarian cancer that you need to consider. You should also tell your doctor whether breast cancer and other cancers (such as cancer of the womb,

 

 

 

 

 

colon
Your colon is the first 2 metres (6 feet) of your large intestine. During digestion, food travels from your stomach to your small intestine and then to your large intestine. What's not digested then leaves your body as a bowel movement.

 

 

 

 

 

colon and

 

 

 

 

 

prostate
Only men have a prostate. It's a small, solid gland that's about the size of a chestnut. Its job is to help make the milky fluid that comes out of a man's penis when he has an orgasm. The fluid from the prostate helps keep sperm healthy and also helps them swim freely.

 

 

 

 

 

prostate) run in your family. It's especially important to note if a relative got cancer before age 50, because this may increase your risk.

However, few women with ovarian cancer (less than 1 in 20) have a relative, such as a mother or sister, who has had ovarian cancer.

 

 

 

 

 

Source:
Kerlikowske K, Brown JS, Grady DG.
Should women with familial ovarian cancer undergo prophylactic oophorectomy?
Obstetrics and Gynecology. 1992; 80: 700-707.

 

 

 

 

 

¹

If you're worried that your family could have cancer genes, you may want to see a genetic counselor. Your doctor can tell you if this will help. A genetic counselor will ask you:

Your counselor will then work out if your chance of getting ovarian cancer (or another type of cancer) is higher than average.

Two genes have been linked to ovarian cancer in families. They're called BRCA1 and BRCA2. A blood test can show if you have changes in these genes (called mutations) that might increase your chance of getting ovarian cancer. Some changes also increase your chance of getting breast cancer.

If you have changes in these genes, it doesn't mean that you'll get ovarian cancer for sure. It just means that you're more likely to get it than someone who doesn't have the changes. Your chance of getting ovarian cancer may be just a bit higher or it may be a lot higher.

 

 

 

 

 

Source:
Baker VV.
Treatment options for ovarian cancer.
Clinical Obstetrics and Gynecology. 2001; 44: 522-530.

 

 

 

 

 

²

But other things also affect your risk. For example, taking birth control pills, having children and breastfeeding all reduce your chance of getting ovarian cancer. To learn more, see Factors that affect your risk.

Your genetic counselor will look at all of these factors and work out your chance of getting ovarian cancer. Then you can talk about what you can do.

If your risk of ovarian cancer is high, it's important to have regular checkups. You can also talk with your doctor about several other options you have.

There's no good test for finding ovarian cancer early on. But doctors are looking at a blood test to see if it can help.

This test shows how much of a protein called CA 125 you have in your blood. Women with ovarian cancer tend to have lots of it. So if you have high levels of CA 125, it could mean that you have early ovarian cancer.

However, there are problems with this test. For example, only about half the women with early ovarian cancer have raised levels of CA 125. Plus, a higher than normal CA 125 level could be caused by other health problems, not just ovarian cancer.

This means that if the CA 125 test was used on its own, some women with ovarian cancer would be missed. (Doctors call this a false negative test result.)

And the test might come up positive in some women who don't have ovarian cancer. These women would then be put through the anxiety of thinking that they might have cancer when, in fact, they don't. (Doctors call this a false positive test result.)

The CA 125 test is often used with another test that uses

 

 

 

 

 

ultrasound
Ultrasound is a tool doctors use to create images of the inside of your body. The ultrasound machine sends out high-frequency sound waves, which are directed at an area of your body through a device such as a probe. The waves reflect off parts of your body to create a picture. Ultrasound is often used to see a developing baby inside a woman's womb.

 

 

 

 

 

ultrasound through your vagina to look at your ovaries (called transvaginal ultrasound).

During this exam, a doctor puts an ultrasound probe into your vagina to look at your ovaries. This works better than doing the ultrasound over your abdomen. But even so, it is very difficult to tell what is cancer and what is a harmless lump, such as a cyst, just by looking at your ovary.

If you have a very high risk of getting ovarian cancer, you may want to consider having an operation to take out your

 

 

 

 

 

ovaries
Women have two ovaries, one on each side of their womb. They are small glands that store eggs. Inside the ovaries are millions of pre-eggs, called follicles. Some of these grow into eggs.

 

 

 

 

 

ovaries. This greatly reduces your chance of getting ovarian cancer.

 

 

 

 

 

Source:
Kennedy RD, Quinn JE, Johnston PG, et al.
BRCA1: mechanisms of inactivation and implications for management of patients.
Lancet. 2002; 360: 1007-1014.

 

 

 

 

 

³ It also reduces your chance of getting breast cancer. (Some women who have changes in two genes that have been linked to ovarian cancer and breast cancer, called BRCA1 and BRCA2, are at high risk for both cancers.)

But removing your ovaries doesn't take away all the risk of getting ovarian cancer. This is because there may be some cells left behind after surgery. These cells could turn into cancer in the place where your ovaries used to be. They could also spread to other areas. But the chance of this happening is very small.

 

 

 

 

 

Source:
Kennedy RD, Quinn JE, Johnston PG, et al.
BRCA1: mechanisms of inactivation and implications for management of patients.
Lancet. 2002; 360: 1007-1014.

 

 

 

 

 

³

If you have this operation to remove your ovaries, there are some things you should know.

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