Factors That Help Reduce Ovarian Cancer Mortality Rates
The potential for Ovarian Cancer Mortality to decrease has greatly improved in more recent years due to the continued research into the nature and treatment of the disease.
When the cancer is diagnosed early on, mortality rates are decreased substantially, making it possible to achieve a survival rate as high as 75% under optimum conditions. Several different approaches to treatment help to aid in lowering mortality rates, including some strategies that involve simple lifestyle changes.
In terms of medical treatments, mortality rates have been greatly impacted by the development of newer surgical techniques. While surgery is still considered a serious matter, surgeons can work with more precision today than at any time in the past. This has meant that it is easier to remove more of the cancer than in past decades, which helps to minimize the chances for recurrence at a later date, especially when the surgery is coupled with other treatments that have proven effective in lowering mortality rates.
The use of radiation therapy and chemotherapy has helped to lower mortality rates by a wide margin. Sometimes employed as the first line of defense, there are cases where a combination of these two therapies was able to shrink the cancer enough to save at least one ovary and fallopian tube. This is in contrast to intensive surgery where both ovaries and fallopian tubes, along with the uterus and lymph nodes in the abdomen, are completely removed.
Even if surgery is required, less debulking of the abdomen is required and the mortality risk is lowered significantly. As a result the women who want to bear children can still retain that potential even after experiencing this form of cancer.
Nutrition has proven to be very helpful in lowering ovarian cancer mortality rates. This is because eating foods that are rich in the right nutrients help to replace some of the stamina the body loses when dealing with cancer, or even recovering from surgery or the various therapies that have made ovarian cancer mortality less of possibility these days.
Generally, physicians will recommend consuming foods that are rich in protein, such as fish, poultry, eggs, and lean meats. For snacks, peanut butter or cottage cheese with a small amount of fruit are also excellent ways to ingest protein. Leafy vegetables that are high in nutritional content can also help the body recover from the side effects that are common with chemotherapy and radiation therapy, which will help the make the recovery phase much more pleasant.
While ovarian cancer mortality is still a very real danger today, mortality rates are much lower than in previous generations. By working with a physician to determine the best approach to treating the cancer, and taking the time to eat properly and get the right type of nutrition, the chances for survival are greatly increased. As research into the prevention and treatment of ovarian cancer continue, there is no doubt that the overall ovarian cancer mortality rate will continue to decrease.