Ovarian cancer has a reputation as a silent killer — a disease that grows imperceptibly, never showing any symptoms until it reaches an advanced and deadly stage.
But Dr. Julian Schink says that reputation isn't entirely accurate. "That 'silent killer' terminology is really unfair because the vast majority of women with ovarian cancer have had symptoms," Schink, chief of the division of gynecologic oncology at Cancer Treatment Centers of America, told INSIDER. "And many of those women have complained to somebody about their symptoms and people didn’t listen or they weren't heard."
The problem, he explained, is that the common symptoms are non-specific, meaning doctors or patients often attribute them to other problems. That's why it's important for people with ovaries — especially those with risk factors for ovarian cancer — to learn and stay alert for warning signs of the disease.
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