Northside Lifetime of Care - Fall 2012 - (Page 7)

W hen it comes to beating ovarian cancer, awareness and education are key. In fact, it’s often called the “silent cancer” because of its lack of noticeable symptoms. More women with ovarian cancer are treated at Northside Hospital than at any other hospital in Georgia. Here’s your chance to brush up on everything you need to know about the disease. ◗ Trouble eating or feeling full quickly ◗ Increased urinary frequency and urgency KNOW YOUR RISK Several factors appear to affect the risk for developing ovarian cancer: increasing age, obesity, smoking and alcohol use, never having had children, having children late in life, and taking estrogen or hormone replacement therapy, among others. If you have a strong personal or family history of cancer, genetic testing can help you determine what to do or reduce your risk of developing ovarian cancer and increase your chances of survival. RECOGNIZE THE SYMPTOMS Early detection is especially important to ensure the most effective treatment. A Pap test does not detect ovarian cancer, but you can protect yourself by knowing your body and paying attention to warning signs. If they persist on a daily basis for longer than two weeks, call your doctor. The most common symptoms are: ◗ Bloating ◗ Pelvic or abdominal pain HOPE FOR A CURE Surgery, chemotherapy and radiation therapy remain the traditional treatment options for women with cancer. However, new and improved treatments and technologies offer ovarian cancer patients better hope for a cure. Robotic surgery combines minimally invasive laparoscopy with robotic technology, allowing surgeons greater range of motion and precision, while patients beneﬁt from smaller incisions, less pain and blood loss, and a quicker recovery. Northside has performed more robotic procedures than any other hospital in the Southeast and is ranked in the top 5 percent of U.S. hospitals for gynecologic robotic procedures. HIPEC (hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemoperfusion) delivers heated chemotherapy directly into the abdominal cavity during surgery, penetrating diseased tissue and effectively slowing or preventing recurrence of the disease. Northside has performed more HIPEC procedures for ovarian cancer than any other hospital and recently hosted the world’s ﬁrst robotic HIPEC case. The Beneﬁt of Genetic Counseling Testing for mutations of BRCA genes can be invaluable when it comes to making decisions about your care. But BRCA testing, which may reveal a high risk for breast and ovarian cancers, isn’t for everyone. A genetic counselor should take a full family history to ﬁnd out: ◗ If you have had breast cancer before. ◗ How many blood relatives have had breast cancer. ◗ How old the individual was when diagnosed. ◗ If he or she had a recurrence, or if cancer was found in both breasts. ◗ If there’s a history of ovarian cancer. ◗ If there are any male family members who had breast cancer. ◗ If another family member has been found to have the BRCA mutation. WHAT’S YOUR RISK? Talk to your doctor about whether you could be at risk for ovarian cancer, and what you can do to protect yourself. For more information about cancer care, visit northside.com. Visit northside.com for more articles, videos and healthy recipes. 7 http://www.northside.com http://www.northside.com

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Northside Lifetime of Care - Fall 2012

Northside Lifetime of Care - Fall 2012
Contents
Northside News
Healthy Living
A Healthy Dose of Knowledge
Strong Finish
Do You Know Diabetes?
Put Pain in the Past
Northside Directory

Northside Lifetime of Care - Fall 2012