Hospital offers hope for cancer patients wanting children
A city hospital is giving women with ovarian cancer the hope of having children in the future, a doctor said on Wednesday, World Ovarian Cancer Day.
About 70 percent of patients diagnosed with ovarian cancer are already in the terminal stage, as there are no symptoms earlier. About 70 percent of patients suffer a relapse and the overall five-year survival rate is 30 percent.
Around 57,000 new cases of ovarian cancer are reported in China each year.
"Regular health checks and an awareness of certain signals such as a larger waist, poor appetite, pain in the lower belly with urinary problems can help detect ovarian cancer earlier. Those with a family history and a mutation of BRCA genes should have a higher awareness," said Dr Wang Yudong, president of Shanghai International Peace Maternity and Child Health Hospital.
Experts offer consultation and evaluation to a patient hoping to have a child.
"Concerning the birth demand of young patients, we aim to protect their fertility by the largest extent through cooperation with experts from various departments," Wang said. "We have established a special clinic offering comprehensive evaluation and medical guidance for patients with female cancer and cancer detected during pregnancy. So far we have helped about 300 patients with female cancer to deliver their babies successfully."
One 33-year-old woman, who was diagnosed with ovarian cancer seven years ago, shared her story with other patients.
"I expressed my wish for fertility preservation and cooperated with doctors during treatment. I got married three years ago and am now in the seventh month of pregnancy through natural conception," said Zhu. "I want to tell young women that regular health checks are very important. Even though you are sick, you can still have the chance to be a mother."
