Girl, 8, Survives Ovarian Cancer

Sept 25, 2012

Written by Alex Crees

On September 22, the third Annual Run/Walk to Break the Silence on Ovarian Cancer will take place in Madison, Conn. The walk’s top fundraising team, Natalie’s Tigers, which has raised more than $7,000, is fronted by little Natalie Cosman – who, at 8 years old, is a survivor of the disease.

“Our goal is to make people realize it can happen to any female at any age,” Natalie’s mother, Melinda Cosman, told FoxNews.com. “We want to get the word out there about the disease the way it should be out there.”

Natalie’s battle started one year ago, when she started complaining of chronic stomach pain. Doctors brushed it off as a stomach virus or gas buildup – until one day, when the pain became so bad, Natalie’s parents rushed her to the hospital.

Suspecting appendicitis, doctors ordered an ultrasound and found a 7-centimeter cyst on Natalie’s right ovary. A biopsy confirmed the cyst was a tumor, and Natalie was diagnosed with stage II ovarian cancer.

“I was shocked, especially by what kind of cancer it was,” Cosman said. “A 7 year old with ovarian cancer is quite shocking.”

‘A silent killer’

September is Ovarian Cancer Awareness month. Ovarian cancer is known as a 'silent killer' because there is little awareness and high mortality rates associated with the disease. In 2012, there will be 22,280 new cases of ovarian cancer and 15,500 deaths from ovarian cancer, according to estimates from the American Cancer Society.

While ovarian cancer is ranked ninth in prevalence among women – lagging far behind breast and lung cancer – it ranks fifth in women’s cancer deaths. More than half of women diagnosed die within five years.

Children and young women typically develop a rare subtype of the disease – it arises in the germ cell, which is responsible for making eggs, or in the cells that support the eggs, according to Dr. Robert DeBernardo, a gynecological oncologist at UH Case Medical Center in Cleveland, Ohio. This cancer subtype usually remains confined to one ovary and is highly treatable if caught early.

EmpowHER

Ovarian Cancer: The Fifth Leading Cause of Cancer Death

Sunday September 16, 2012

Cancer is a disease in which cells in the body grow out of control. Cancer is always named for the part of the body where it starts, even if it spreads to other body parts later. When cancer starts in the ovaries, it is called ovarian cancer. Women have two ovaries that are located in the pelvis, one on each side of the uterus. The ovaries make female hormones and produce eggs.

Ovarian cancer causes more deaths than any other cancer of the female reproductive system. But when ovarian cancer is found in its early stages, treatment is most effective. Ovarian cancer often causes signs and symptoms, so it is important to pay attention to your body and know what is normal for you. Symptoms may be caused by something other than cancer, but the only way to know is to see your doctor, nurse, or other health care professional.

Who Gets Ovarian Cancer?

All women are at risk for ovarian cancer, but older women are more likely to get the disease than younger women. About 90% of women who get ovarian cancer are older than 40 years of age, with the greatest number of cases occurring in women aged 60 years or older.

Each year, about 20,000 women in the United States get ovarian cancer. Among women in the United States, ovarian cancer is the eighth most common cancer and the fifth leading cause of cancer death, after lung and bronchus, breast, colorectal, and pancreatic cancers. Ovarian cancer causes more deaths than any other cancer of the female reproductive system, but it accounts for only about 3% of all cancers in women. When ovarian cancer is found in its early stages, treatment is most effective.