Purpose/Objectives: To explore the feelings that occurred at the same time as the vague physical symptoms of ovarian cancer.
Research Approach: Qualitative, descriptive methodology.
Setting: University cancer institute in southeastern United States.
Participants: 24 women (ages 39-78) diagnosed with ovarian cancer. Most were Caucasian, were diagnosed at stage II-III, had a college-level education, and had health insurance. Eighty-three percent did not know the signs and symptoms of ovarian cancer prior to diagnosis, and 91% had no family history of the cancer.
Methodologic Approach: SPSS® (version 18.0) was used to summarize the demographic characteristics and qualitative descriptive content analysis to identify and summarize themes in the narrative data.
Findings: Two themes were noted in the handwritten answers provided by the women: (a) "thought symptoms were aging" and (b) "felt or knew something was not right."
Conclusions: Findings demonstrate and reinforce that a need exists for education regarding signs and symptoms of ovarian cancer among the general population as well as the common providers of women's health care.
Interpretation: Education campaigns on signs and symptoms of ovarian cancer and normal aging are necessary so women are empowered with knowledge and healthcare providers can suspect and evaluate the symptoms.
References
Andersen, B. L., Cacioppo, J. T., & Roberts, D. C. (1995). Delay in seeking a cancer diagnosis: Delay stages and psychophysiological comparison processes. British Journal of Social Psychology, 34, 33-52. doi: 10.1111/j.2044-8309.1995.tb01047.x
Bankhead, C. R., Collins, C., Stokes-Lampard, H., Rose, P., Wilson, S., Clements, A., … Austoker, J. (2008). Identifying symptoms of ovarian cancer: A qualitative and quantitative study. BJOG: An International Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology, 115, 1008-1014. doi:10.1111/j.1471-0528.2008.01772.x
Devlin, S. M., Diehr, P. H., Andersen, R., Goff, B. A., Tyree, P. T., & Lafferty, W. E. (2010). Identification of ovarian cancer symptoms in health insurance claims data. Journal of Women's Health, 19, 382-389. doi:10.1089/jwh.2009.1550
Evans, J., Ziebland, S., & McPherson, A. (2007). Minimizing delays in ovarian cancer diagnosis: An expansion of Andersen's model of "total patient delay." Family Practice, 24, 48-55. doi:10.1093/fampra/cml063
Fitch, M. J., Gray, R. E., & Franssen, E. (2000). Women's perspective regarding the impact of ovarian cancer. Cancer Nursing, 23, 359-366. doi:10.1097/00002820-200010000-00006
Friedman, G. D., Skilling, J. S., Udaltsova, N. V., & Smith, L. H. (2005). Early symptoms of ovarian cancer: A case-control study without recall bias. Family Practice, 22, 548-553. doi:10.1093/fampra/cmi044
Goff, B. A., Mandel, L. S., Drescher, C. W., Urban, N., Gough, S., Schurman, K. M., … Anderson, M. R. (2007). Development of an ovarian cancer symptom index: Possibilities for earlier detection. Cancer, 109, 221-227. doi:10.1002/cncr.22371
Goff, B. A., Mandel, L. S., Melancon, C. H., & Muntz, H. G. (2004). Frequency of symptoms of ovarian cancer in women presenting to primary care. JAMA, 291, 2705-2712. doi:10.1001/jama.291.22.2705
Hamilton, W., Peters, T. J., Bankhead, C., & Sharp, D. (2009). Risk of ovarian cancer in women with symptoms in primary care: Population-based control study. BMJ, 339, b2998. doi:10.1136/bmj.b2998
Igoe, B. A. (1997). Symptoms attributed to ovarian cancer by women with the disease. Nurse Practitioner, 22, 127-128. doi:10.1097/00006205-199707000-00009
Jayde, V., White, K., & Blomfield, P. (2009-2010). Symptoms and diagnostic delay in ovarian cancer: A summary of the literature. Contemporary Nurse, 34, 55-65. doi:10.5172/conu.2009.34.1.055
Koldjeski, D., Kirkpatrick, M. K., Swanson, M., Everett, L., & Brown, S. (2003). Ovarian cancer: Early symptom patterns. Oncology Nursing Forum, 30, 927-933. doi:10.1188/03.ONF.927-933
Koldjeski, D., Kirkpatrick, M. K., Swanson, M., Everett, L., & Brown, S. (2005). An ovarian cancer diagnosis-seeking process: Unraveling the diagnostic delay problem. Oncology Nursing Forum, 32, 1036-1042. doi:10.1188/05.ONF.1036-1042
Lockwood-Rayermann, S., Donovan, H. S., Rambo, D., & Kuo, C. W. (2009). Women's awareness of ovarian cancer risks and symptoms. American Journal of Nursing, 109, 36-45. doi:10.1097/01.NAJ.0000360309.08701.73
Lurie, G., Thompson, P. J., McDuffie, K. E., Carney, M. E., & Goodman, M. T. (2009). Prediagnostic symptoms of ovarian carcinoma: A case-control study. Gynecologic Oncology, 114, 231-236. doi:10.1016/j.ygyno.2009.05.001
Purdie, D., Green, A., Bain, C., Siskind, V., Ward, B., Hacker, N., … Susil, B. (1995). Reproductive and other factors and risk of epithelial ovarian cancer: An Australian case-control study. International Journal of Cancer, 62, 678-684. doi:10.1002/ijc.2910620606
Sandelowski, M. (2000). Whatever happened to qualitative description? Research in Nursing and Health, 23, 234-340. doi:10.1002/1098-240X(200008)23:4<334::AID-NUR9>3.0.CO;2-G
Schorge, J. O., Coleman, R. L., Cohn, D. E., Kauff, N. D., Modesitt, S. C., Duska, L. R., & Herzog, T. J. (2010). SGO white paper ovarian education campaign. Project I—Background, screening and surveillance. Retrieved from
http://pubget.com/paper/20692025Smith, A. J. (2008). Whisperings of ovarian cancer: Acknowledging women's voices. Clinical Journal of Oncology Nursing, 12, 913-920. doi:10.1188/08.CJON.913-920
Webb, P. E., Purdie, D. M., Grover, S., Jordan, S., Dick, M., & Green, A. C. (2004). Symptoms and diagnosis of borderline, early, and advanced epithelial ovarian cancer. Gynecologic Oncology, 92, 232-239. doi:10.1016/j.ygyno.2003.09.005
Wynn, M. L., Chang, S., & Peipins, L. A. (2007). Temporal patterns of conditions and symptoms potentially associated with ovarian cancer. Journal of Women's Health, 16, 971-986. doi:10.1089/jwh.2006.030
