About Ovarian Cancer

Ovarian cancer is the second most common cancer of the reproductive organs among women in the United States. It most commonly occurs in women between the ages of 50 and 65. A woman’s lifetime risk of developing ovarian cancer is approximately 1.4 percent.

There are several different types of cancer that can start in the ovary; the most common is called “epithelial” ovarian cancer. This topic review will discuss the treatment of epithelial ovarian cancer, with a focus on chemotherapy after initial surgery. The diagnosis and staging of ovarian cancer is discussed separately.

Certain factors increase a person’s risk of developing ovarian cancer, including:

  • Never having been pregnant.
  • Early age of menarche (when menstrual periods begin) or late age of menopause.
  • A family history of ovarian, breast, or endometrial (uterine) cancer, particularly if the person inherits a specific type of genetic abnormality called a BRCA1 or BRCA2 mutation.
  • A family history of a genetic condition called Lynch syndrome (hereditary nonpolyposis colorectal cancer [HNPCC]).

Ovarian Cancer signs and symptoms

During the early stages of ovarian cancer, symptoms may be present but are often vague and ill-defined. Symptoms may include pelvic or abdominal discomfort, increased abdominal size or bloating, decreased appetite, feeling full after eating a small amount of food, or urinary symptoms (urgency and frequency).

In some women, ovarian cancer is initially suspected when a mass or lump is felt during a routine pelvic examination. However, a mass is not always detectable in the early stages of ovarian cancer. Even when a mass is detected, it does not necessarily mean that the woman has ovarian cancer. There are many common noncancerous conditions (such as ovarian cysts) that can cause masses.

Ovarian Cancer Diagnosis

If ovarian cancer is suspected based on symptoms and/or an abnormal physical examination, imaging tests of the abdomen and pelvis are usually recommended as an initial step in the evaluation. Imaging tests may include ultrasound, computed tomography (CT), or magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). These tests do not provide enough information by themselves to definitively diagnose ovarian cancer, although they may provide important information about the location and/or extent of a possible cancer.

The only way to diagnose ovarian cancer with certainty is through surgery. In some cases (for example, if surgery is not possible or if the woman is a candidate for chemotherapy prior to surgery), a nonsurgical procedure may be done instead. This involves removing tissue or fluid from the abdomen or chest with a needle (called a biopsy, paracentesis, or thoracentesis) for testing.

Conventional treatments

Ovarian cancer is diagnosed (and the stage determined) through exploratory surgery. The surgeon will also remove all visible cancer. In most cases, this involves removing the uterus, fallopian tubes, and ovaries. This is done to ensure that as much of the cancer as possible is removed, and to help prevent the cancer from spreading further. Sometimes, no further treatment is needed; however, most of the time, additional (or “adjuvant”) treatment with chemotherapy is recommended.

Most women with ovarian cancer do get treatment with chemotherapy (in addition to surgery). After the cancer is removed with surgery to the extent possible, there is still a risk that cancer cells remain and may return or spread to other parts of the body. Chemotherapy is given after surgery to destroy these cells; it improves the chance that the cancer will not recur and decreases the risk of dying of ovarian cancer.

Integrative medicine for Ovarian Cancer

Immunotherapy

The goal of cancer immunotherapy is to improve the body’s natural ability to find and destroy cancer cells. Successful immunotherapeutic approaches stimulate the natural defenses of the immune system and provide new ways to attack cancer. This is possible with comprehensive interventions that include cell therapy / immuno-pharmacological therapy in combination with nutritional, endocrine measures and supplements.

Dendritic enhancer or T-cell modulators

T-cell Modulators are peptide chains composed of tens of amino acids that appear to store all the experience of the immune system. The great intellectual leap to understand is that T-cell Modulators do not transfer antibodies nor create them directly, but its function is to educate, and teach the immune cells to recognize specific antigens that could happen to them unnoticed i.e. Prostate malignant cells.

T-cell Modulators do not cure anything but work to make a “smarter” immune system so that it is the body itself eliminating disease. They are therefore vital in developing the strategies of the immune system against cancer.

T-cell Modulators contains several immunoactivity components that have been shown to act synergistically in raising Dendritic and NK function and also effective as adjuvant therapy, elevating dendritic and NK function as much as 250%.

Hyperthermia

Hyperthermia involves the use of heat to directly treat a tumor or increase the vulnerability of cancer cells to other forms of treatment, such as immunotherapy, vitamin C, chemotherapy or radiotherapy.

Concerning clinical trials, hyperthermia has already shown antitumor activity and has a potential role in the treatment of ovarian cancer.

Non-ablative or mild hyperthermia (HT) has been shown in preclinical and clinical studies as a localized sensitizer that enhances the tumoricidal effects of immunotherapy, radiation or chemotherapy.

Personalized nutrition

A typical diet, characterized by dependence on animal products, refined carbohydrates and unhealthy fats such as processed vegetable oils, can promote an inflammatory environment in the body.

We custom-make a diet targeted to enhance the immune system’s ability to heal and provide our patients with the right nutrition for their current and long-term needs.

Vitamin D

Vitamin D is a fat-soluble prohormone best known for its role in maintaining calcium homeostasis. Study results indicate that vitamin D deficiency results in an increase in the risk of developing ovarian cancer and that vitamin supplements may potentially be an efficient way of preventing cancer.

Zinc

Healthy prostate cells accumulate zinc to accomplish their normal cellular functions, Zinc is a potential therapeutic for chemo resistant ovarian cancer, it has been prove that by using zinc in combination with chemotherapy it increases the effectiveness of the systemic treatment.

Diseases Treated at Integrative Immunotherapy Institute

Adenocarcinoma
Adrenal Cancer
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Soft Tissue Sarcoma
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Crohn’s Disease Treatment in Mexico – Top Clinic
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