These Nigerian children do not have Ovarian Cancer, But....

Of course, They do not have ovarian cancer! They are boys, and boys don't have Ovaries!

 ''But, why are they crying''? Did you ask?

''Did something or someone hurts them?''

''Are they hungry?''

Well, These boys are neither hurt by something/someone nor are They hungry. (Though, They may be).

But, Allow me to say that, these two young Nigerian siblings, 11 and 10, together with their mother and other, over 150 migrants, were all in a  rubber boat enjoying the cool breeze of the Mediterranean ocean, on their way to Europe in search of greener pastures.

Unfortunately, for the young boys, death came and took their mother away! :-(...

Hmm, Death, the end product of an overcrowded rubber boat! #Sad.

Well, Thanks to God they have been rescued from their overcrowded rubber boat off the coast of Libya into Italy by a Spanish NGO’s boat.

We human being tends to get it wrong at times. The grass may not be greener on the other side. All it takes is hard work and endurance. I seriously feel for these kids! May God rest the soul of their mother, Amen.

But, what has this sad story got to do with ovarian cancer? It's everything to do with it!

Come to think of it, What exactly is ovarian cancer? 

Ovarian cancer occurs in the ovary's cells. The ovaries are two female reproductive glands that produce ova, or eggs. They also produce the female hormones estrogen and progesterone. Cancer starts when abnormal cells in the ovary begin to multiply out of control and form a tumor.

Simply put, It is a disease that causes the loss of ovary or ovaries in women.
Depending on the type and stage of the disease, malignant (cancerous) cells are found inside, near, or on the outer layer of the ovaries. 

Just like the overcrowded rubber-boat in my story, leads to the unfortunate death of a mother-of-two.  

'Overcrowding' in Your stomach(reproductive system) can leads to Your death!  Oops! :(

So, What's causing the overcrowding in Your stomach (Reproductive system)? 

Ok, You got me..:-) I'm trying to tell You the causes of ovarian cancer! 

''We don't yet know exactly what causes most ovarian cancers. As discussed in the previous section, we do know some factors that make a woman more likely to develop epithelial ovarian cancer. Much less is known about risk factors for germ cell and stromal tumors of the ovaries.''

That's what majority of Nigerian Doctors and even some, around the globe, will tell You when asked, the major causes of ovarian cancer. 

But, I've gone out of my comfort-zone to make some researches and Voila! I come up with the following risk factors, that are linked to a higher chance of developing ovarian cancer:

• Never having been pregnant: Yes! Women who have never become pregnant have a higher risk of developing ovarian cancer compared to women who have become pregnant. The more times a woman has become pregnant the lower her risk is. 

• Obesity/overweight: You've got to start losing that weight! Cos, Several studies have shown that obese/fat cancer patients are more likely to have faster-advancing ones compared to cancer patients of normal weight.  

 Obese older women who have never used hormone replacement therapy have nearly twice the risk of their normal weight peers of developing ovarian cancer, according to a study by the researchers at the National Cancer Institute.

New research suggests that women who are overweight or obese are more likely to develop ovarian cancer, compared with women of a healthy weight.

Being overweight or obese 'a risk factor' for ovarian cancer. Investigators from the World Cancer Research Fund (WCRF) and the American Institute for Cancer Research conducted the study as part of the WCRF's Continuous Update Project.

• Douching: It was discovered recently that women who douche, have a doubled risk of developing ovarian cancer.

• Age: This is a rare cause of the disease. But, according to the Institute of Cancer research, ovarian cancers occur in women, Who are over 65 years of age. A higher percentage of post-menopausal women develop ovarian cancer compared to pre-menopausal women. 

•  Family history: Women whose close relatives who have/had ovarian cancer, or, breast cancer, have a higher risk of developing ovarian cancer.  

There are two genes, which significantly raise the risk of the disease - BRCA1 and BRCA2 -. The BRCA1 and BRCA2 genes also raise the risk of breast cancer. These genes are inherited. The BRCA1 gene is estimated to increase ovarian cancer risk by 35% to 70%, and the BRCA2 by 10% to 30%.

• Early start of menstruation: Women who started menstruating at an early age have a higher risk of developing ovarian cancer. 

•  And Yes! Night workers! Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center in Seattle, USA, explained that "night-type people"-Those we fondly call owls..:-) who work shifts are likely to have a higher ovarian cancer risk compared to "morning types" -The larks! 

Symptoms of ovarian cancer?

Don’t worry. I wouldn’t write an entire post touting the meaning and causes of ovarian cancer are without giving you the symptoms to recognise the deadly disease in early stages...

The following are examples of possible early symptoms of ovarian cancer:

The most common symptoms, experienced by one-third of a study-participants, were abdominal symptoms such as fullness and pain, bloating, bowel or urinary symptoms were reported by them. Half of the study participants also experienced:

• Pain in the pelvis

• Pain on the lower side of the body

• Pain in the lower stomach

• Back pain

• Indigestion or heartburn

• Feeling full rapidly when eating

• More frequent and urgent urination

• Pain during sexual intercourse

• Changes in bowel habits, such as constipation

Finally, I'd like to clear this tragic myth that says, Ovarian cancer is a silent killer. Sorry, but, it's NOT!

A study by the National Breast and Ovarian Cancer Centre, Australia, found that 83% of women experience at least one symptom of ovarian cancer in the year prior to their diagnosis,

Also found by the researchers, is the fact that 17% of women waited more than three months after the onset of their symptoms before visiting their doctor, with 8% waiting more than six months! 

Going to an outing, LATENESS!  Visiting the Doctor after the onset of ovarian cancer, LATENESS! Women!!! :-)

An Infected ovary

Your turn

Biko, If you experience bloating, pressure or pain in the abdomen or pelvis that persists for more than a few weeks you should see your doctor immediately. Please, I'm on knees in as I'm writing this...*wink*

Even, If you have already been to Your doctor and ovarian cancer was not diagnosed, and the treatment given to You is not relieving You of the symptoms, get a second opinion, see another doctor again. Do note that, It is important that the evaluation must include a pelvic examination.

People with close family members who have/had ovarian or breast cancer should see a welltrained doctor so as to avoid, stories-that-touch!

When detected early, ovarian cancer can be treated by Chemotherapy, Diptheria toxin-encoding DNA, and Surgery -which is the most effective and probably, the first treatment a patient will undergo. 

Mere looking at these pictures, one could imagine the trauma these kids are going through! So heartbreaking! :-(

By-the-way, check out some 'amazing' facts about ovarian cancer, according to YNaija:

• Cancer is a class of diseases characterized by out-of-control cell growth. There are over 100 different types of cancer and each one is grouped by the type of cell that is initially attacked.
• Ovarian cancer is any cancerous growth that may occur in different parts of the ovary. The majority of ovarian cancer, however,  stem from the epithelium (outer lining) of the ovary.
• According to the World Cancer Research Fund International, ovarian cancer is the seventh most common cancer in women in the world.
• Early detection of ovarian cancer is in most cases unlikely as it is often difficult to diagnose because it can grow in the stomach, colon and liver without being noticed.
• Ovarian cancer often has no symptoms at the early stages, so the disease is generally advanced when it is diagnosed.
• In the rare cases of early detection of the cancerous tumor, it responds well to chemotherapy.
• According to an Oxford University Professor, Ahmed Ahmed, “Ovarian cancer can be undetectable for up to four years and only a third of people with cancer get an early diagnosis.”
• Over 239,000 cases of ovarian cancer were diagnosed in 2012 alone.
• Over 140,000 women die yearly from ovarian cancer.
• Recently, scientists discovered an enzyme called SIK2 which helps ovarian cancer spread through the body.
• This enzyme is believed to be complicit in the attack on the body by ovarian cancer.
• The discovery of the enzyme leads scientists to believe that a simple protein test can be used to easily detect an ovarian tumor before it becomes cancerous.
• According to researchers, levels of a protein, SOX2 – become much higher in the fallopian tube of a patient with ovarian cancer.
• The new discovery also gives a glimmer of hope in the world quest to beat the deadly disease.
• Early-stage ovarian cancer can cause some of the following symptoms:
  -Bloating
  -Trouble eating or feeling full quickly
  -Pelvic or abdominal pain as well as urinary symptoms which most times would be the patient’s urge to pee more frequently.
• A woman is advised to see her doctor immediately, preferably a gynecologist if these symptoms persist for up to 12 times in a month.
• According to World Cancer Research Fund International, about 58% of ovarian cancer cases occurred in less developed countries.
• Also, the lowest occurrence of the cancer has been in Africa and Asia while North America and Europe have recorded more patients.
• May 8th, 2013 was the first World Ovarian Cancer Day.

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