Ovarian cancer is a serious disease that can cause many complications, one of them is ascites. Pathology is the formation of excess fluid inside the abdomen, and it can occur not only with ovarian cancer, but also with other types of malignant tumors, liver diseases, peritonitis, and heart failure.
Ascites is a very serious complication that can cause inflammation of the abdominal cavity, as well as abscess and necrosis, which is fatal for the patient. Therefore, at the first sign of a violation, you should immediately report it to your doctor.
Why is it developing?
In the normal state of a person, a certain amount of circulating tansudate is present in the abdominal cavity, which prevents the adhesion of internal organs. The development of ascites in ovarian cancer is caused by severe disturbances in the production and absorption of fluid. As the disease progresses, the body ceases to control this process, leading to the accumulation of exudate in the peritoneum.
Malignant cells accumulate on the leaves covering the peritoneum, which helps them move to all organs of the abdominal cavity and metastasize the lymphatic ducts. Lymph drainage is impaired and ascites occurs. This is influenced by the following reasons:
- the presence of a certain number of vessels and lymphatic ducts in the peritoneum;
- introduction of harmful cells during abdominal surgical interventions;
- rapid settling of malignant neoplasms on the abdominal organs;
- the appearance of metastases in the ovaries;
- cancer intoxication in stage 4 of the pathological process.
The course of ascites in ovarian cancer
The abdominal cavity is lined by the peritoneum, which normally produces a small amount of fluid. It is necessary to ensure the motor activity of intestinal loops and prevent organs from sticking together. It is then reabsorbed by the peritoneum, resulting in its constant circulation.
Thus, the peritoneum has secretory, absorptive and protective functions, which under certain conditions change or are completely lost.
In malignant ovarian disease, the predominance of secretory processes is observed during cancer intoxication and damage to the peritoneum by metastases. The pathogenesis of ascites is caused by a complex set of metabolic, inflammatory and hemodynamic disorders, which causes transudate to sweat and accumulate.
Manifestations
One of the symptoms of fluid accumulation is swelling of the legs and bluish skin of the body.
Abdominal ascites in oncology is manifested by the following symptoms:
- pain in the pelvic area;
- disruption of the digestive system;
- bloating, nausea, constipation;
- pain when urinating;
- elevated temperature;
- swelling of the legs, external genitalia;
- shortness of breath, difficulty breathing;
- feeling tired, hemorrhoids;
- significant increase in the abdomen;
- cardiac dysfunction;
- bluish body skin;
- fainting and dizziness.
In accordance with the amount of accumulated exudate, ascites in ovarian cancer develops in 3 phases, described in the table:
| Stage | Liquid volume (l) | Symptoms |
| First | From 0.4 to 5 | Bloating, shortness of breath, vomiting, constipation, heartburn, flatulence, stomach cramps, nausea |
| Second | From 5 to 20 | Abdominal protrusion, heart failure, difficulty breathing, peritonitis, hydrothorax |
| Third | More than 20 | Huge hanging belly, swelling, ovarian rupture, acute abdomen |
With oncological pathologies, weight loss occurs, ascites leads to the opposite results, weight increases due to the accumulation of fluid.
Causes
Before we find out how many people live with ascites in stage 3 ovarian cancer, we will need to understand the causes of ovarian cancer. Modern medicine cannot accurately answer this question. Scientists agree that this disease is hereditary, as there are many confirmed cases of it being detected in both mother and daughter. In general, doctors can only speculate about possible reasons:
- Chronic inflammatory processes.
- Hormonal imbalances, namely an increase in the amount of androgens, ovarian dysfunction.
- Inability to conceive a child (infertility).
- Reduced body immunity.
- Having irregular sex life.
- Venereal diseases.
- Abortion.
- Breast cancer (with this disease the risk of developing pathology in the ovaries is 2 times higher).
- Obesity.
- Eating disorders, bad habits (smoking and alcohol).
- Exposure to radiation.
What to do?
If symptoms appear, you should consult a doctor who will conduct special examinations to find out the cause and extent of the changes. Diagnostics includes the following measures:
| Actions | Causes |
| Examination and palpation of the abdomen | Presence and displacement of fluid in the peritoneum |
| Ultrasound of internal reproductive organs | Detection of neoplasms and sites of transudate accumulation |
| CT scan of the pelvis and peritoneum | Process development |
| Laparoscopic studies | Cytology analysis |
| Chest X-ray | Determining the position of the aperture |
After diagnosis, treatment is carried out, which is aimed at eliminating the root cause of ascites.
After establishing a complete picture of the disease and complications, the doctor will prescribe treatment. To eliminate the accumulation of fluid in the peritoneum, anticancer therapy is needed to eliminate the root cause of ascites. Diuretics “Hepasol”, “Trifas”, “Furosemide”, “Lazex” are also prescribed. To these are added drugs that restore the water-salt balance and prevent the excretion of potassium, as well as having an antihypertensive effect - “Veroshpiron”.
Diagnostics
Diagnosing ascites is not difficult. If there is already a lot of liquid, then the changes are visible to the naked eye. A woman with ascites has a protruding stomach, and if she lies down, it becomes flat, like a frog’s. In an overweight patient, it is often difficult to see ascites, but she herself may notice an increase in volume if she regularly changes her waist circumference.
If there is a suspicion of ascites, but it is not visible externally, the patient is referred for an ultrasound examination. An ultrasound will help assess the amount of fluid, as well as the general condition of the organs. A puncture may be recommended to take fluid for analysis.
Treatment of pathology
The choice of treatment method for oncology depends on the stage, type of tumor, the woman’s age and her physical condition. In the first stages, traditional treatment with diuretics is carried out; in order to maintain the water-salt balance, Potassium Orotate, Asparkam or Panagin are prescribed. If drug treatment does not produce results, fluid is pumped out using laparoscopy and drainage is installed, through which up to 10 liters are removed in one session.
To reduce the formation of fluid, surgery is performed to remove malignant foci, ovaries, and, if necessary, other reproductive organs. With the help of chemotherapy, cancer cells are inhibited, preventing their growth, which helps reduce the accumulation of exudate and reverse resorption. In addition to this, infusion therapy is carried out to prevent changes in the blood, immunotherapy and radiotherapy.
Symptoms
At the first stage, as already mentioned, ovarian cancer is asymptomatic. Painful sensations in the pelvic region occur in later stages, characterizing the onset of metastasis.
A sign characteristic of any cancer is unreasonable, rapid weight loss. At the same time, ovarian cancer is characterized by a visual enlargement of the abdomen. This means an increase in the tumor, as well as an accumulation of fluid in the abdominal cavity (ascites). Sometimes the tumor is accompanied by digestive disorders, intestinal obstruction, etc.
Diagnosis of cancer in the early stages occurs randomly, as a result of the detection of other diseases. And so as not to have to find out from the doctor how long people live with ascites in stage 3 and 4 ovarian cancer, you need to pay attention to the symptoms that warn of the development of pathology:
- irregular menstrual cycle;
- symptoms of anemia - fatigue, general weakness, pale skin;
- pain in the lower abdomen;
- violation of digestive and urinary function;
- uterine bleeding not related to menstruation;
- not isolated miscarriages;
- pain in the lumbar region that is not relieved by analgesics;
- causeless increase in body temperature;
- unreasonable decrease in blood pressure.
A woman should carefully monitor her health and, if the above symptoms are present, undergo examination. Timely detection of pathology will prevent it from developing into stage 3 ovarian cancer and ascites (we will look at how long they live with this pathology below) and metastasizing to other organs.
Is it possible to warn?
Women who have infertility, as well as those who take drugs to stimulate ovulation, are prone to the manifestation of pathology.
At risk are older women who have been diagnosed with infertility or are taking medications that stimulate ovulation. Those who often have inflammatory processes in the appendages and ovaries, cysts and endometriosis are also at risk. To prevent and identify the disease in the early stages, you should regularly undergo examination by a gynecologist and follow his recommendations. A healthy lifestyle, giving up bad habits and maintaining personal hygiene are also important.
Risk group
The age of women at risk for this disease is over 45 years. Mostly, the ranks of those affected are women during menopause. The peak incidence occurs at 65 years of age and older.
The initial stages of this disease usually occur without pronounced symptoms. And most often, women who have problems with the genital organs do not pay attention to the first signs of ovarian cancer, attributing them to existing diseases. Therefore, in most cases it is diagnosed in late stages, when metastasized cells have already spread to adjacent organs.
Often, specialists have to deal with ascites in stage 3 ovarian cancer. We will tell you further how long such patients live.
Survival Predictions
Predicting survival for ascites of oncological origin has no clear boundaries. The mild stage does not threaten the woman, but as the amount of exudate increases, it can lead to heart failure and death at the tense and reflex stage. The time at which treatment begins is of great importance; the earlier it is started, the greater the likelihood of recovery. And prolonged ascites can impair organ function and lead to death.
Prognosis also depends on the stage of malignancy and the involvement of metastases in other organs. At the third stage, 11% of patients live up to 5 years, and at the fourth stage - about 4%. Ascitic processes in cancer trigger irreversible processes in organs that can rarely be stopped, and therefore the pathology has an extremely unfavorable prognosis.
Stages of development
The stage assigned to ovarian cancer directly depends on how far the disease has spread at the time of diagnosis, on the symptoms and form of the disease. Modern medicine distinguishes four stages:
- Cancer is limited to one or both ovaries without spreading beyond them. Due to the absence of symptoms as such, this stage is almost impossible to identify.
- The second stage affects, in addition to the ovaries, the uterus and uterine ducts, bladder, and sigmoid colon. At this stage, characteristic symptoms appear in the form of nagging pain in the pelvis.
- Stage 3 ovarian cancer is characterized by damage to organs outside the pelvis. Metastases reach the lymph nodes and liver. At this stage, ovarian cancer is diagnosed in 70 percent of cases. Often it is also complicated. Then specialists have to answer questions about how long people live with stage 3 ovarian cancer and ascites, for example.
- At stage 4, all organs of a woman without exception can be affected. But most often it is the liver and lungs. Pleural fluid accumulates in the lung area. This stage is accompanied by severe, ongoing abdominal pain.
Next we will take a closer look
