By Bae Ji-sook
Staff Reporter

No woman can certainly feel pain in her ovary ― the two olive-large organs are well hidden behind the endocrine organs, uterus and others, making it difficult for even doctors to detect abnormalities.

Dr. Lee Hyo-pyo of Konkuk University Medical Center

Therefore, ovarian cancer is considered one of the most fatal cancers ― once you get to detect it, it is usually too late to make any medical action, doctors say.

Ovary is quite important for women. It controls the ovulation, enabling women to reproduce.

It also manages secretion of two important sex hormones ― estrogen and progesterone.

Estrogen is responsible for the appearance of secondary sex characteristics of females at puberty and for the maturation and maintenance of the reproductive organs in their mature functional state.

Progesterone functions with estrogen by promoting cyclic changes in the endometrium and helps its maintenance during pregnancy.

According to the U.S. National Cancer Institute definition, the disease is cancer that forms in tissues of the ovary.

Most ovarian cancers are either ovarian epithelial carcinomas (cancer that begins in the cells on the surface of the ovary) or malignant germ cell tumors (cancer that begins in egg cells).

About 5 percent of the patients have family record while the rest is unknown yet. The prevalence is relatively higher among women who have suffered from mumps or are obese.

Dr. Lee Hyo-pyo of Konkuk University Medical Center said environmental factors such as pollutants and unhealthy diet focused on fatty foods, liquor and coffee are main suspected contributing factors, too. "They change the whole metabolic system, which puts excessive stress to the body," he said.

The number of patients marked 400 in early 1990s, but it jumped to 1,500 last year, according to the National Health Insurance Corporation.

About 20-30 percent of the diagnosed are fertile women while 40 to 50 percent are over 40s.

Lee said the more a woman has ovulated, there are higher chances that a woman gets cancer.

"Those who have never had a childbirth; who had started their menstruation early or had menopause late; those who had suffered from breast cancer or endometrial cancer, are more likely to suffer from the cancer," Lee said citing researches.

Lee said, surprisingly, that the prevalence was low among women who take oral contraceptives.

There isn't a real symptom for this subtle disease but those who feel full on the stomach often or bleed through vagina when they are not menstruating should visit the doctor for checkups.

Taking out biopsy and a CA-125 index is the basic criteria for diagnosis.

Once the disease is diagnosed, the best treatment is to remove the rumor and surrounding areas ― ovary. Anti-cancer treatments such as chemotherapy follow.

Thanks to developing pelviscopic surgical technology, the pain and toils for the removal has reduced dramatically.

Doctors put three to four 2 to 3 centimeter-holes on the area, puts in endoscope and small tools for removal and suturing.

Since the surgery requires smaller incisions in the abdomen, patients do not bleed so much, which involves less shock and the period for hospitalization is shortened.

Lee also said ovarian cancer is quite vulnerable to chemotherapy. "Researches by U.S. National Cancer Center show that performing the chemotherapy inside the abdominal cavity is quite effective. But due to safety reasons, it isn't adopted in Korea yet," he said.

Doctors sometimes prescribe hormonal drugs to patients who have lost ovaries and cannot secrete female hormones.

Lee said, however, not many women take it. "Since the ovarian cancer stemmed from hormonal disorder, they fear the hormone itself anyway," Lee said.

Nowadays, a respectful number of women with family record, mostly in Western hemisphere, prefer to have their ovary removed after they experience menopause as a preventative measures against the cancer. Lee said he recommends such surgery several times.

"It's not for everyone but when the function of ovary is over, we do find it effective," Lee said.

Lee admits that Korea is behind many leading countries in research for ovarian cancer.

"I am proud to say the clinical results are quite good, but the foundational studies are quite behind. We are looking for aspiring

researchers, but it isn't always easy," he said.

Lee said the current National Health Insurance System does not cover new techniques or new drugs.

"It could work as a major setback to the Korean medical development," he said.

In the future, people will be treating cancer with molecule target treatments, which involves only the cancer cells. "It will bring dramatic development to mankind," Lee said.

bjs@koreatimes.co.kr

Tips for Healthy Ovary, Uterus The most important thing is to keep getting regular checkups. Those with family members who have suffered from the gynecological disease should take sonographs every year, Lee said. People are advised to keep healthy diet and refrain from getting fat. "Eating lots of vegetables and doing regular exercise ― taking a fast-pace walk for more than 30 minutes, three to four times a week ― will be helpful, too," he said. "Most of all, try to keep away from stress. In modern life, it is hard to do so, but stress is one of the strongest causes to the disease," Lee added.

Who Is Lee Hyo-pyo? Prof. Lee Hyo-pyo graduated from Seoul National University and was trained at Harvard University. He led the gynecologic department of the nation's top hospital for a long time before he moved to Konkuk University hospital in 2007. His moves caused quite a stir in the medical field and contributed the hospital to get nationwide recognition in gynecology. Lee is currently working on developing biomarkers and molecule target treatment for cervical cancers and ovary cancer. Lee chairs the Korean Gynecologic Cancer Foundation, holding campaigns for regular health checkups. The foundation also holds numerous seminars and other events to raise awareness toward the diseases. Lee enjoys walking, which he started to countermeasure surging diabetes symptoms. He also regularly plays golf and other sports to maintain fit.