Tested For Ovarian Cancer?
My mom was just recently diagnosed with Stage 3 Ovarian Cancer at a young age. What testing can I have done to make sure I’m cancer free? Is there a blood test as well as a GYNO exam?
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Ovarian Cancer can run in families, so it’s a good idea to at least get yearly GYNO exams and also a blood test called a CA-125. It is a tumor marker specially designed to look for elevated ovarian hormone levels.
I’m 23 and I was diagnosed with stage 2c last year with no cancer in my family, so anyone can get it, but people with it in their family run a greater risk of having it.
Good luck and I will be praying for your mom!
I’m so sorry about your mom. If it is any consolation, my mom was diagnosed at age 39 at stage 3, was given 20% odds of survival, and lived a wonderful, active life until she passed away at 50. I don’t want to sugar coat…she spent most of those years bald and on chemo, but the cancer didn’t own her.
There is no screening test for ovarian cancer like a pap smear or a mammogram. That is why it is usually caught at such a late stage. You can get ultrasounds to monitor for tumors and a CA 125 blood test, which will spike if you have cancer. Unfortunately, something as minor as a yeast infection will also cause it to spike, so it can create false alarms. Of course, research continues to evolve.
You can get a genetic test called a BRAC to see if you have inherited the gene.
You can look up Gilda Radnor’s site, an organization in Georgia that I’m involved with called GOCA (Georgia Ovarian Cancer Alliance) that educates women about ovarian cancer, and the Ovarian Cancer Institute (a a research group) for more information.
Best of luck to you and your family.
there are blood tests that look specifically for an ovarian cancer marker……yes…..