Low-grade serous ovarian cancer is a rare ovarian cancer, making up about 5% of ovarian cancers.

 

It is a separate diagnosis from the more common high-grade serous carcinoma, although both are epithelial cancers, meaning the cells originate in the thin layer of tissue around the ovaries known as the epithelium. Unlike high-grade ovarian cancer, LGSOC is usually less aggressive but more resistant to standard chemotherapy.  It’s crucial to understand the differences to make informed decisions about your care.

 

LGSOC cancer cells grow more slowly than other cancer cells and can start out as benign (noncancerous) or borderline tumors. Despite progressing more slowly, LGSOC can be hard to treat because most chemotherapy drugs target fast-growing cells. It is a metastatic disease that can spread to other organs in the body. Some research has shown that epithelial ovarian cancers like LGSOC could originate in the fallopian tubes and spread to the ovaries.

 

LGSOC affects younger patients than other ovarian cancers. The average age at diagnosis is 45, but it has been diagnosed in people as young as 14. 

 

Like other ovarian cancers, LGSOC is often diagnosed in the later stages because there is no early detection test. Tumors can be detected with transvaginal (internal) ultrasounds, or MRI, CT or PET scans. Sometimes blood tests show an elevated tumor marker called CA-125, but research has shown that to be an unreliable indicator, meaning it is not always elevated when cancer is present, and sometimes can be elevated for other reasons.

Another reason people are diagnosed with LGSOC in advanced stages is because of a lack of awareness of symptoms, which can be confused with other illnesses. Symptoms include bloating, feeling full quickly, frequent urination, fatigue, indigestion, menstrual irregularities, changes in bowel habits and painful intercourse. Learn more about the symptoms here and please tell your doctor if you experience any of these for more than two weeks.