CANCER

Oncology diseases are normally related to aging, whereas some diseases, such as cervical cancer, can also arise in young girls.

Among gynecological oncology diseases endometrial cancer is one of the prognostic benign tumors, since symptoms show up at a very early stage in the form of bleeding from genitals. All women after the age of 40 must undergo a check-up if there are any alterations to the regular menstrual cycle, and in all cases women have to have a check-up if there are any discharges during menopause. During menopause discharges don’t always have to be blood-stained – these can be light pink or completely clear discharges from genitals.

Patients are more protected against cervical cancer when they undergo cervical screenings every three years. This frequency of screenings is completely sufficient. The test results are a way to protect patients from the development of cervical cancer. There shouldn’t be any cases of cervical cancer in a normal conscious society, since this disease has a long development period (10-15 years) which gives doctors a chance to detect it at the early stages of epithelium damage when CIN I, CIN II or CIN III are identified.

Blood-tinged discharges from genitals after sexual intercourse is a very typical symptom of cervical cancer.

With ovarian cancer it is more complicated, for there is still no such examination that a woman could undergo as a preventive measure and thus protect herself from ovarian cancer. The only recommendations that exist are for the patients with a proven mutation in one of the BRCA genes.

Throughout the history ovarian cancer used to be called “the silent killer”, because the first symptoms of ovarian cancer are extremely non-specific and normally neither patient nor primary care specialist suspects the presence of this dangerous disease. Normally there are complaints about increased belly size, different kinds of eating disorders, epigastric fullness, which become more pronounced over time. Pain is not a very typical sign of ovarian cancer. The main complaints are about a buildup of fluid in the abdominal cavity.

Diagnostic methods:

• Gynaecological ultrasound allows us to identify formations in the ovarian region. It allows the specialists to understand whether they are potentially malignant and whether the formations bear oncologic danger. Ultrasound also gives an opportunity to judge the condition of endometrium. In case of endometrial diseases, the uterine cavity will be increased in size. (from 37 EUR)
• In case of cervical cancer ordinary examinations are really informative – these are gynecological check-ups with mirrors and, when necessary, colposcopy with cervical electro excision or just a small biopsy if the formation is large and only morphological confirmation is needed.
• Computer tomography of abdominal organs and small pelvis is really informative for the evaluation of disease distribution. It allows the doctors to judge the distribution of tumor in the abdominal cavity and the lymph nodes. (from 115 EUR)
• On some occasions a magnetic resonance is necessary. (from 205 EUR)
• On even fewer occasions a positron emission tomography (PET/CT) is required. This examination is particularly efficient in cases of recurrence of illness when other methods are not that precise. PET/CT reflects increased metabolism which is typical for malignant processes. PET/CT is used to check the whole body, gaining precise information about the distribution of illness in the body and about malignant transformations in bones, tissues and organs. PET/CT is particularly suitable for early relapse diagnosis, because it allows for metastases to be detected at a very early stage when an elevated tumor marker is the only sign of a possible recurrence of tumor. (from 1085 EUR)

Treatment of gynecological oncology diseases:

• In “ONKOKLĪNIKA” we have experienced specialists working in the field of gynecological oncology diseases. The clinic employs the only specialists in Latvia who have a scientific degree in this field, thus they use a scientifically sound approach in examination and treatment.
• We collaborate with such medical centers as P. Stradins Oncology Clinic and SIGULDA STEREOTACTIC SURGERY CENTRE.