SEPTEMBER 2018 • LONGISLANDPRESS.COM 35
PRESS HEALTH
The teal awareness ribbon is a symbolic bow for supporting patients with ovarian cancer, polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) and
post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) illness awareness.
THE SILENT KILLER By MICHELLE GABRIELLE CENTAMORE
The American Cancer Society (ACS) reports that ovarian cancer ranks fifth in
cancer deaths among women, accounting for more fatalities than any other
cancer of the female reproductive system.
The ACS estimates that in 2018, about 22,240 women will be diagnosed with
a new case and 14,070 will die from ovarian cancer. On Long Island, from
2012 to 2014, the ovarian cancer incidence rate was 718 per 100,000 — a
regional incidence rate of 16.4 during that time period, according to the New
York State Department of Health.
Although it is a relatively uncommon disease, “Because over 70 percent
of ovarian cancers are diagnosed in stage 3 or stage 4, it is among the
most lethal gynecologic cancers in the United States,” says Dr. Anze Urh,
a gynecologic oncologist at Huntington Hospital, Southside Hospital in Bay
Shore and Mather Hospital in Port Jefferson. “It is important to be aware and
vigilant about seeing your doctor on a yearly basis and for anything that is out
of the ordinary,” he advises. “Ovarian cancer is a difficult diagnosis; it impacts
quality of life and relationships.”
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