Ovarian Cancer vs. IBS (Irritable Bowel Syndrome) Symptoms and Signs

Picture of a woman holding her stomach.

• Ovarian cancer is a disease in which ovarian and/or ovarian-related cells become abnormal and multiply causing tumor(s). Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is a chronic, functional gastrointestinal disorder.
• Ovarian cancer can spread to other organs and areas of the body (metastasize) while irritable bowel syndrome is not cancer and is occurs only in the digestive (gastrointestinal, GI) tract.
• Ovarian cancer occurs usually in older women (age greater than 50 years) while irritable bowel syndrome can occur in men, women, and children.
• Similarities between signs and symptoms in which ovarian cancer can mimic IBS include:
  • Abdominal cramping and/or pain
  • Diarrhea and/or constipation
  • Gas and/or bloating
  • Abdominal distention
  • Loss of appetite
• Signs and symptoms of ovarian cancer that do not occur with IBS include:
  • Pelvic pain
  • Pain with intercourse
  • Urinary frequency
  • Ascites
  • Irregular vaginal bleeding
• Signs and symptoms of IBS that do not occur with ovarian cancer include:
  • Changes in the stool frequency and consistency
  • Passing mucus from the rectum
  • The feeling of being unable to empty the bowels
  • IBS with diarrhea (IBS-D)
  • IBS with constipation (IBS-C)
• Risk factors for ovarian cancer include:
  • Women over the age of 50
  • Family history of ceratin cancers, for example, breast cancer and hereditary nonpolyposis colorectal cancer) and mutation in genes called BRCA 1 and BRCA 2.
  • Other risk factors for ovarian cancer may include no pregnancies, fertility drug use, European and/or Jewish heritage, exposure to asbestos, genital exposure to talcum powder, radiation exposure to the pelvic region, and possibly viral infections, for example, the mumps.
• Risk factors for IBS include:
  • Hypersensitivity of the small intestine due to disruption of the nerve communication between the brain and digestive tract causing abdominal pain from gas or a full bowel.
  • Viral or bacterial infections of the stomach and intestines
  • Small intestinal bacterial overgrown (SIBO)
  • Hormones and/or neurotransmitters that are not balanced
• Both ovarian cancer and irritable bowel syndrome are difficult to diagnose.
• Ovarian cancer frequently is diagnosed in the later stages when the disease is more severe. For example, the survival rate for women diagnosed with stage three ovarian cancer is about 39% 5 years after diagnosis, and about 17% with Stage IV.
• IBS is not a life threatening condition, and in general, individuals with IBS have a relatively normal lifespan.

Ovarian Cancer

• Ovarian cancer is a disease in which ovarian and/or ovarian-related cells become abnormal and multiply causing tumor(s). Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is a chronic, functional gastrointestinal disorder.
• Ovarian cancer can spread to other organs and areas of the body (metastasize) while irritable bowel syndrome is not cancer and is occurs only in the digestive (gastrointestinal, GI) tract.
• Ovarian cancer occurs usually in older women (age greater than 50 years) while irritable bowel syndrome can occur in men, women, and children.

IBS (Irritable Bowel Syndrome)

Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is a chronic, functional disorder of the gastrointestinal (GI, digestive) tract. There are two sub-types of irritable bowel syndrome, IBS-C or irritable bowel syndrome with constipation and IBS-D or irritable bowel syndrome with diarrhea.

Ovarian Cancer Symptoms and Signs

Ovarian cancer is difficult to diagnose until late in the disease because often symptoms do not occur until the tumor has grown large enough to apply pressure to other organs in the abdomen, or until the cancer has spread to remote organs (metastasized). Moreover, ovarian cancer symptoms are similar to many diseases and conditions so often cancer is not the first problem considered to be causing symptoms.

The only early symptom of ovarian cancer can be irregular vaginal bleeding. Symptoms late in the disease include:

• Pelvic pain or pressure
• Pain with intercourse
• Abdominal swelling and bloating
• Urinary frequency
• Constipation
• Ascites: Collection of fluid in the abdomen, contributing to abdominal distension and shortness of breath
• Loss of appetite
• Feeling full after eating little
• Gas and/or diarrhea
• Nausea and vomiting
• Abnormalities in menstruation, pubertal development, and abnormal hair growth (with tumors that secrete hormones)

Irritable Bowel Syndrome Symptoms and Signs

IBS affects each person differently. The hallmark of IBS in adults and children is abdominal discomfort or pain. Other common signs and symptoms include:

• Change in the stool frequency or consistency
• Gassiness (flatulence)
• Passing mucus from the rectum
• Bloating
• Abdominal distension
• Loss of appetite
• Abdominal cramping and pain that are relieved with bowel movements
• Alternating periods of diarrhea and constipation

Individuals who mostly have diarrhea as a symptom are considered to have IBS with diarrhea (IBS-D). Symptoms of IBS-D include:

• Sudden urges to have bowel movements
• Abdominal pain or discomfort
• Intestinal gas (flatulence)
• Loose stools
• Frequent stools
• Feeling of being unable to completely empty bowels
• Nausea

Individuals who mostly have constipation as a symptom are considered to have IBS with constipation (IBS-C). Other symptoms of IBS-C include:

• Hard, lumpy stools
• Straining during bowel movements
• Infrequent stools

Indigestion affects up to 70% of people with IBS, however, it is not a symptom of the condition.

Signs and symptoms that are not irritable bowel syndrome, but are of other serious diseases and conditions include:

• Blood in stools or urine
• Black or tarry stools
• Vomiting (rare, though may occasionally accompany nausea)
• Pain or diarrhea that interrupts sleep
• Fever
• Weight loss

If you have these symptoms or signs contact your doctor or other health-care professional for evaluation.

Ovarian Cancer

The incidence of ovarian cancer varies greatly.

• Globally, Scandinavia, Israel, and North America have the highest rates. Developing countries and Japan have the lowest rates.
• Some 14,240 women in the U.S. die each year from ovarian cancer.
• The five-year survival rate is greater than 75% if diagnosis of the cancer occurs before it has spread to other organs. However, the five-year survival rate drops to 20% when the cancer has spread to the upper abdomen.
• In the United States, about one in 56 women develops cancer of the ovary. About 22,280 new cases in the U.S. are diagnosed each year.

Irritable Bowel Syndrome

IBS is not contagious, inherited, or cancerous. It occurs more often in women than in men, and the onset occurs before the age of 35 in about half of the cases. IBS occurs in 5% to 20% of children.

When to Call the Doctor for Ovarian Cancer Symptoms

Go to the nearest hospital emergency department if you have any of these symptoms:

• Severe abdominal pain
• Abdominal pain with fever
• Continuous vomiting or diarrhea (especially with blood)
• Difficulty breathing
• Abnormal vaginal bleeding

If you are female 40 years of age or have a family history of breast or ovarian cancer, these symptoms should be attributed to constipation or other conditions only after your health-care professional or doctor has ruled out the possibility of ovarian cancer. If you are experiencing abdominal pain, distension, or bloating that is not explained by simple constipation, or lactose intolerance contact your health-care professional for evaluation.

When to Call the Doctor for IBS (Irritable Bowel Syndrome)

If you have any of the symptoms of irritable bowel syndrome, or if you have IBS and experience unusual symptoms, call your doctor for consultation. Go to a hospital emergency department if problems are severe and/or come on suddenly.