Ovarian cancer is detected in the early stage in only 20 percent of women. And if detected early, 94 percent of ovarian cancer patients have the chance to live more than five years after their diagnosis. Detection and treatment of ovarian cancer at an early stage have a positive outlook for patients. Some ways to detect and treat ovarian cancer early are as follows:

1. Regular health checkups
This is one of the primary ways to detect ovarian cancer. Health practitioners are trained to check the feel, shape, consistency, and size of a woman’s ovaries and uterus during regular health checkups.

2. Pelvic examination
It is advisable to consult a gynecologist or obstetrician for an annual pelvic examination. The doctor may check the pelvis both visually and by doing a physical assessment. They may check for any unnatural enlargements of the ovary or for abdominal fluid to rule out ovarian cancer.

3. Screening tests
Even though there is no single screening test for the detection of ovarian cancer, doctors take the help of transvaginal ultrasound (TVUS) and CA-125 blood tests to detect ovarian cancer. In a TVUS, an ultrasound wand is inserted into the vagina and sound waves are used to check the ovaries, fallopian tubes, and the uterus for any mass. Women with ovarian cancer have a high level of protein CA-125 in their blood, so the CA-125 blood test looks for this high number. However, high levels of CA-125 are also found in other pelvic inflammatory diseases and endometriosis. So this test may not work in all cases.

4. Biopsy
A biopsy is another investigative test that is used to detect ovarian cancer. An ovarian biopsy is done by removing the part where a tumor is suspected. This method can also help gauge whether the cancer is benign or malignant.

5. Local treatment on confirmation
Once ovarian cancer is confirmed, surgery and radiation therapy are used to treat it. Depending on the stage and progression of the cancer, the surgeon will take a call on the intensity of the treatment needed to prevent the cancer from spreading to other parts.

6. Systemic treatment
If the cancer has spread beyond its original location, then the doctor will employ systemic therapy, such as chemotherapy, targeted therapy, or hormone therapy, either individually or in combination.

Ovarian cancer, if detected early, has a good prognosis. The key is to get regular health checkups done, especially if one falls in the high-risk category.