PROPHYLAXIS IN OVARIAN-CANCER

The only prophylaxis for ovarian cancer is oophorectomy, except in the very rare case when an ovarian cancer appears to arise from the mesothelial tissue of the abdominal cavity. It has been shown that women who have taken the oral contraceptive pill for 4 or 5 years decreases the incidence of ovarian cancer by approximately 40%. It is estimated that the oral contraceptive pill can prevent approximately 1500 ovarian cancers each year. The postmenopausal palpable ovary syndrome is simply the palpation of what is interpreted as a normal-sized ovary in the premenopausal woman represents an ovarian tumor in the postmenopausal woman. It addresses the size and consistency and has nothing to do with the small cysts reported by the sonographer. A patient who has two first-degree blood relatives or a mother, sister, or daughter who has developed ovarian cancer premenopausally is at high risk to develop ovarian cancer. Because ovarian cancer is the leading cause of death from gynecologic cancer, it is important to explore all options for prophylaxis in the prevention of ovarian cancer.