Other Cancers

Ovarian cancer accounts for nearly 4% of all cancers among women and ranks second among the gynecological cancers. According to the American Cancer Society, there will be an estimated 22,430 new cases of ovarian cancer in the United States in 2007. An estimated 15,280 deaths are expected in 2007. Ovarian cancer causes more deaths than any other cancer of the female reproductive system.

Early determination of how far the ovarian cancer has spread is key to selecting the most appropriate treatment. PET scanning can help.

DIAGNOSIS AND EARLY DETECTION
Only a small number of ovarian cancers are found at an early stage because early cancers of the ovary often have no symptoms. Tumors are hard for even skilled doctors to find and tumors on the ovary cannot usually be found through the Pap test. While new blood tests may change this in the future, right now, ovarian cancer is difficult to find at its earliest stage.

PET scanning can help by evaluating the primary tumor and determining the stage of the cancer immediately after it is found so that the most appropriate therapy can be given.

A PET scan can show where tumor cells are growing, which helps your doctor determine the best course of treatment

Call the PET centers nearest you for information about whether being a candidate for a PET scan.

EXAMPLE STUDY

TREATMENT FOLLOW-UP and RECURRENCE
Your physician will schedule you for routine follow-up visits and depending on the type of the cancer, may use blood tests to help watch for a possible recurrence. Your doctors may also order follow up imaging tests or surgeries. If the cancer does return, it is important that additional treatment begin immediately. This is also where PET can help.

PET is the most useful test that you can have when doctors are staging or re-staging your cancer because it can be more accurate than CT or other tests.

Imaging with PET is also critical in order to look for the return of the cancer. Before PET was available, it was difficult to see if the cancer had come back. Earlier imaging tests were unable to detect cancer as sensitively as PET can now, resulting in the delay of further treatment. Blood tests that indicate that a tumor may be growing still do not tell doctors "where".

PET can be used to image tumor response to therapy and to detect recurrence in treated lesions. In some cases, a mass may develop or remain after treatment. The mass itself may be seen on CT scan, but CT cannot determine if the tumor is still growing. For post surgery and other treatments, PET is extremely important for monitoring to see if the cancer cells have returned and if treatment should be re-started.

Call the PET centers nearest you if you would like to discuss whether PET scanning could be helpful in your care.

FIND THE SUPPORT YOU NEED
Ovarian cancer can be a devastating cancer. Several organizations provide information and support to patients and their families, including:

CONVERSATIONS! The newsletter for women fighting ovarian cancer

Gilda's Club®, Inc.

National Ovarian Cancer Coalition (NOCC)

Ovarian Cancer National Alliance (OCNA)