Study offers new option for women with ovarian cancer
Source: WRAL.com
At age 34, Elsie Byrd was told she had ovarian cancer. The diagnosis was even more devastating because she wanted to have another child.
“Right when we planned on having the second baby, it was like we were dealt this card,” Byrd said.
New research shows that women like Byrd have another option.
Surgery for ovarian cancer used to mean a total hysterectomy.
Now, women with early-stage cancer can keep at least one ovary or their uterus without increasing their risk of dying.
“I think this is an option for women that they need to discuss with their doctors,” said Dr. Jason Wright, of the Columbia University Medical Center in New York.
Wright led a study that looked at nearly 4,000 women. Some patients had just the cancerous ovary removed. Others had both ovaries removed.
The groups had similar 5-year survival rates.
“This definitely challenges the standard surgical operation for women with ovarian cancer,” Wright said.
While most ovarian cancers are found in older women, about 17 percent of tumors are diagnosed in women under 40, doctors say.
Byrd had just her ovaries removed, leaving her the possibility to carry another child if she receives a donor egg.
“We can still be mothers, and it’s important to know that we have options,” Byrd said.
Byrd said she wants to give her son a sibling, whether she tries to conceive or adopts a child.
