Some facts about Ovarian Cancer

Ovarian cancer is particularly scary because by the time it’s detectable, in 70 to 80 percent of women it has already spread to other parts of the body and thus has a high mortality rate.

It accounts for nearly 20 percent of gynecologic cancers, and it ranks fifth in cancer fatalities in women. Most ovarian cancer occurs in menopausal women around the age of fifty.

It has become clear that one of the causes of the increasing rate of ovarian cancer is the widespread use of fertility drugs that stimulate the ovaries to mature follicles.

One study found that using fertility drugs increased ovarian cancer risk three times … but in women who had never been pregnant the risk was increased 27-fold. Other studies have shown that women who are infertile and women who delay childbearing also have a higher risk of ovarian cancer, so a woman who uses fertility drugs may be significantly increasing an already elevated risk.

Infertility clinics are booming because so many women are delaying having children and fertility declines steadily with age. We now know that fertility drugs that stimulate ovarian function, such as Clomid, significantly increase your risk of ovarian cancer. If you must use them, it is recommended you don’t use them for more than one or two cycles. It’s very difficult for a doctor to tell a woman who desperately wants a child that if she uses fertility drugs she has a higher risk of contracting this very deadly cancer, but that is the truth of it, and it needs to be known.

Your risk of ovarian cancer is also increased if you have a relative who has had it, if your consumption of dairy products is high, and if you use talcum powder. it is thought that the powder, which contains toxins such as heavy metals, migrates up the vagina, through the cervix, into the uterus and onto the ovaries.

The more full-term pregnancies a woman has had, the lower her statistical risk of ovarian cancer. Prenancy is a time when the ovaries get a rest for nine months, and some researchers believe that the continuous ovulation of women who haven’t had a full-term pregnancy increases the risk that a cancerous cyst will form.

During pregnancy, progesterone levels are very high.

As we’ve discussed, HIGH PROGESTERONE levels provide PROTECTION against cancer.

Ovarian cancer is not ONE disease

Ovarian cancer is not one disease, with only one treatment. In fact, over 100 types of ovarian tumors have been characterized. The treatment and management of these different types of ovarian tumors differs greatly. Therefore, an accurate diagnosis is critical to obtain the most effective treatment and best advice.

The Johns Hopkins Ovarian Cancer Web site is unique because they provide state-of-the-art information for each individual ovarian tumor type, rather than grouping them.

Cathy Beiswenger’s Story

I am writing as the husband of an ovarian cancer patient, hoping that an important lesson that my wife and I learned may be of value to others.
My wife, Cathy, 53, has a history of cancer. Her mother died of breast cancer at the age of 32, and my wife had colorectal cancer at the early age of 38. Fortunately, surgery alone was able to take care of the one tumor, sparing her the effects of chemotherapy and radiation.

In December of 2000, Cathy noticed that her legs were aching and tiring quickly; my mother, 81 at the time, could last longer when shopping. Cathy was not overweight and used a Nordic Track exerciser regularly. Soon she noticed that her left leg was swelling slightly. We immediately went to the doctor and a CAT scan was performed, but nothing turned up. Other tests also revealed nothing, and the conclusion was drawn that the swelling was lymphedema caused by old scar tissue from the abdominal surgery she had 16 years ago! We found that hard to believe and got numerous more tests and opinions, only to come back to the same place.

The lymphedema spread to her abdomen and other leg, causing swelling there as well. Finally, about a year later, a CAT Scan finally revealed a tumor, and a biopsy determined that it was malignant. Further testing revealed she was in Stage III.

At about the same time, we learned through reading a book on cancer treatments, that there is a blood test called AMAS (Anti-Malignan Antibody in Serum), that will reveal the presence of cancer in the body, sometimes as much as 24 months PRIOR to clinical evaluation (such as a CAT scan), with great accuracy. We were never advised to have this blood test performed, and found that many doctors, including oncologists, do not know of the test.

We believe that had we known about this test earlier, we would have had a much earlier diagnosis, making the disease much easier to treat. It is now August, and she is going to begin chemotherapy next week (Taxol and Carboplatinum), and only time will tell the results. The treatment would undoubtedly have been more effective a year ago, when the symptoms were first beginning to reveal the presence of cancer.

Unfortunately, we did not know about the AMAS test in time. Hopefully, others will learn the lesson from us and have earlier detection of this deadly disease. To find more information about the AMAS test, you can type AMAS into a search engine or go to www.amascancertest.com The laboratory that does the test is located near Boston, Mass., and has a toll-free number.

The Beiswengers encourage you to contact them directly re sharing with you their experience with ovarian cancer or the AMAS blood test: rbeiswenger@comcast.net

Please note: This story was taken directly from the Johns Hopkins Ovarian Cancer Web site.

Revolutionary New Test for Cancer

The AMAS test is one of the best diagnostic aids available today for the early detection and monitoring of cancer.

It is superior to conventional blood tests such as the PSA (Prostate Specific Antigen), CEA and CA125, which measure antigen, a cancer indicator that is not detectable until until late in the disease. Thus, these tests are especially poorly suited for early detection and are not suitable as early biomarkers in chemoprevention.

The test couldn’t be easier. The doctor takes a blood sample and screens it for a substance called Anti-Malignan Antibody in Serum (AMAS).

The antibody is manufactured by your own immune system in response to any common kind of cancer cell. This is a factor in the blood that goes up regardless of the type of cancer or malignancy. The false positives and negativities in this test are less than 1%.

With the AMAS test, you can reliably surmise when cancer is lurking somewhere in your body and take action at once.

Breast cancer, prostate cancer, lung cancer, colon cancer, you name it… your chances for beating any cancer will skyrocket with this early detection.