Ovarian Cancer and PCOS Awareness Month: Your Role as a Nurse – DailyNurse

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As with any disease process, the role of nurses is to beever vigilant about staying current on the latest advances with regardstoovarian cancerandpolycystic ovariansyndrome(PCOS).As September is the awareness month for both ofthese conditions, its a good time to brush up on understanding the nursesrole as caregivers towomen.Hereis a brief overview of each condition.

PCOS is a condition that involves a cluster of symptomsrelated to the endocrine system, metabolism, and physicalappearance.Women with PCOS experience irregular or absent menses,hormonal imbalance, and often infertility.Furthermore, PCOS is linked todiabetes, hypertension, sleep apnea, depression, and endometrial cancer.

Although most of the symptoms are invisible, the symptoms related to appearance can be incredibly distressing.This includes hirsutism, (or excess body and facial hair),acne, abdominal fat, skin discoloration, and male-patterned baldness.

PCOSaffects up to 10% of women with childbearing ageof all races and ethnicities.It is more common in women with obesity andthose who have family members with PCOS.

Ovarian cancer is often asymptomatic until it has progressedsignificantly. Furthermore, symptoms of ovarian cancer are often the same assymptoms of noncancerous conditions, such as bloating, fullness, pain duringsex, constipation, and urinary urgency and frequency. For these reasons, it isoften diagnosed at a later, potentially more fatal stage of the disease.

Thefive-yearsurvival ratefor ovarian cancer varies significantly bystage and tumor type, ranging from 47% to 93% for all stages combined.

Risk factors for ovarian cancer according to theNationalCancer Instituteare a family history of ovarian cancer,breast cancer, certain types of colorectal cancer, and certain changes in theBRCA1, BRCA2 genes, hormone replacement therapy, endometriosis,andobesity.Protective factors include oral contraceptives, tuballigation, having given birth, history of salpingectomy, andbreastfeeding.

The nurses role for both PCOS and ovarian cancer are thesame: stay informed, educate patients, be alert for risk factors, encouragescreening, and treat them with compassionate care.

By understanding a patients family history and lifestyle,the nurse can encourage patients to take action that supports their health andpotentially protects them from the long-term consequences of an undiagnosed oruntreated disease.

All nurses, particularly those who work inoncologyand womens health, can take it upon themselves every September to revisit their understanding of both PCOS and ovarian cancer. Although studies have beeninconclusivein looking at correlations between PCOS and ovarian cancer, it is worth mentioning that either can have a profound effect on the quality of life and morbidity for women.

Nancy Swezey received her BSN from Columbia University. She now practices in New York City in the operating room where she has worked as a staff nurse, and currently as a care coordinator specializing in head and neck surgery. Nancy is also pursuing her advanced practice degree at CUNY Hunter where she assists the faculty as a research assistant, focusing on nurse education and module development.

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Ovarian Cancer and PCOS Awareness Month: Your Role as a Nurse - DailyNurse