Ovarian Cancer: Complications

The following are the most important diseases or complications that can be caused by ovarian cancer (ovarian cancer):

Neoplasms – Tumor Diseases (C00-D48).

Ovarian cancer is primarily a disease of the abdominal cavity. All organs covered with the peritoneum can be affected. Infiltration of the organs occurs later. Metastases (daughter tumors) outside the abdominal cavity are very rare. They are usually not responsible for the prognosis of life. Metastasis mainly to the following organs/structures:

  • Spread of the tumor into the small pelvis, as well as throughout the abdominal cavity.
  • Involvement of the mesh, stomach, small and large intestine, as well as the peritoneum in the entire abdominal cavity to below the diaphragmatic domes (peritoneal carcinomatosis / ascites (abdominal fluid)).
  • Bone
  • Liver
  • Lungs
  • Lymph nodes

Furthermore, the tumor may cause the following displacement symptoms:

  • Difficult micturition (urination)
  • Constipation (constipation)
  • Pain during defecation
  • Pain during urination
  • Nausea / feeling of fullness

Infestation of the colon (large intestine) and increasing narrowing of the lumen can lead to the picture of acute abdomen and ileus (intestinal obstruction). Psyche – Nervous System (F00-F99; G00-G99)

Other subsequent sequelae:

  • About 10% of ovarian cancers are genetic. Characteristic of genetic ovarian cancer is a clustered occurrence within the family, usually associated with a clustered occurrence of breast cancer (hereditary breast and ovarian cancer). If a germline mutation has been detected in a responsible gene, e.g. BRCA1, BRCA2, MLH1, MSH2 or TP53, the lifetime risk of ovarian cancer is increased 3 to 50-fold. This corresponds to a lifetime risk of up to 60 percent of developing ovarian cancer.

Prognostic factors

  • Prediagnostic factors that influence survival:
    • Menarche (occurrence of first menstrual period) at 13 years versus menarche before 13: mortality risk 24% higher (95% CI 1.06-1.44)
    • Onset of menopause beyond age 50: mortality risk 23% higher (95% CI 1.03-1.46)
    • Endometriosis (presence of endometrium (endometrium) extrauterine (outside the uterine cavity)) in the history: mortality risk (risk of death) 28% lower (HR 0.72, 95% CI 0.54-0.94)
    • Hormone therapy (HT) for at least five years versus women who had denied HT altogether: mortality risk 21% lower (HR 0.79, 95% CI 0.55-0.90)
  • Hyperthyroidism (hyperthyroidism) before ovarian cancer: likelihood of being alive within the 5-year follow-up was significantly lower if hyperthyroidism lasted <5 years (HR: 1.94; 95% confidence interval between 1.19 and 3.19; p = 0.01).
  • Patients with ovarian cancer who were treated with a nonselective beta-blocker (e.g., propanolol) for other reasons may have prolonged survival. The reason for this is that many ovarian cancer tumor cells have beta 2 receptors. It is also known that the stress hormone adrenaline promotes the growth and spread of tumor cells. The following is the survival time of patients with ovarian cancer taking beta blockers:
    • Nonselective beta blockers: mean 94.9 month.
    • Cardioselective beta-blockers: median survival only 38 months; even slightly shorter than in women who did not receive beta-blockers.
  • Other prognostic factors include:
    • Tumor stage
    • Postoperative tumor remnant
    • Histological type
    • Tumor grading
    • Age
    • General condition
    • Guideline-based therapy