This study found that while the presence of ovarian cancer-related symptoms and conditions prior to diagnoses was documented in the medical claims data, this increase was most pronounced in the two to three months prior to diagnosis. Still, there remains a challenge to link symptoms with ovarian cancer, as many of the related symptoms are also present for several other disorders and diseases.
"Ovarian cancer is most often diagnosed at the later stages," said Stella Chang, research director at Thomson Healthcare and co-author of the study. "Identifying a pattern of symptoms can keep doctors one step ahead of a dangerous disease. It is important to understand that these symptoms do not automatically dictate that a woman has ovarian cancer, but recognizing them could lead to earlier diagnosis and more treatment options to save a patient's life."
About the Study
The study, "Temporal Patterns of Conditions and Symptoms Potentially Associated with Ovarian Cancer," was conducted by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and Thomson Healthcare. It is published in the September issue of the Journal of Women's Health (Volume 16, Number 7, pp. 971-986.)
The authors are Michelle Wynn, formerly of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Division of Cancer Prevention and Control; Stella Chang of Thomson Healthcare; and Lucy Peipins of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Division of Cancer Prevention and Control.
About Thomson Healthcare
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