Ovarian cancer or ovarian cancer is a condition of abnormal tissue growth in the ovaries, which is a major concern for almost all women. Cells grow rapidly and can attack or destroy healthy body tissue.

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The female reproductive system has 2 (two) ovaries, with one on each side of the uterus. Each ovary is the size of an almond, which produces an egg (ovum), the hormone estrogen and the hormone progesterone.
Although many cases occur in post-menopausal or elderly women, this cancer can occur in women of reproductive age. In Indonesia, the number of new cases of ovarian cancer exceeds 13,000 annually and is the third most common cancer suffered by Indonesian women, after breast cancer and cervical cancer. While the annual death rate is estimated to exceed 7,800 women who die from ovarian cancer.

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SYMPTOMS AND CAUSES
In the early stages of ovarian cancer rarely causes symptoms so it is very difficult to detect at an early stage, but gets worse over time. Only about 25% of ovarian cancers are found at an early stage. Therefore, usually ovarian cancer can only be detected when it has entered an advanced stage.

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Some of the symptoms of ovarian cancer include:
1. Stomach bloating or swelling
2. Quickly feel full when eating
3. Discomfort in the pelvic area
4. Weight loss
5. Backache
6. Changes in bowel habits or constipation
7. Frequent urination.

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So far, the cause of ovarian cancer has not been clearly identified, although it has been identified that the cause of ovarian cancer is related to genetic mutations in ovarian cells, where the cause of these genetic mutations is not known with certainty. There are several factors that have been identified to increase the risk of developing ovarian cancer:
1. Post-menopausal women
2. Having menstruation at a young or old age
3. Experiencing pregnancy at an advanced age or never having been pregnant
4. Having family members who suffer from ovarian cancer
5. Suffering from endometriosis
6. Have you ever had breast cancer?
7. Using hormone replacement therapy during menopause
8. Experiencing obesity in adolescence.

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Because the cause is not yet clearly known, it is difficult to prevent ovarian cancer. However, there are several things you can do to prevent the risk of ovarian cancer:
1. Taking combination birth control pills
2. Not doing hormone replacement therapy
3. Adopt a healthy lifestyle, especially consuming adequate amounts of vegetables, vitamin A and vitamin C
4. Conduct regular check-ups with a gynecologist
5. Maintain ideal body weight.

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In women who have a risk of developing ovarian cancer and have decided not to have children again, surgery to remove the ovaries before developing cancer can be done to minimize the risk.

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OVARIUM CANCER TREATMENT
Ovarian cancer can be treated quickly if detected early in its development. The difficulty of detecting it at an early stage makes ovarian cancer treatment very dependent on the stage of cancer, the patient's condition and related to the desire to have offspring.

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In general, treatment for ovarian cancer includes a combination of surgery, chemotherapy and radiotherapy.

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COMPLICATIONS
Complications of ovarian cancer can occur, especially when it has reached an advanced stage where the cancer cells have spread to other organs of the body. Complications that may arise are:
• Perforation or hole in the intestine
• Swelling (edema) due to accumulation of fluid in the tissues
• Accumulation of fluid in the lining of the lungs (pleural effusion)
• Urinary tract obstruction
• Bowel obstruction
• Fatigue, nausea and chronic constipation
• Anemia.

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Author: dr. Puppy Nawangwulan (PRAMITA Clinical Laboratory Medical Consultant Doctor Jl. Jemur Andayani No. 67, Surabaya)