Atop every list of how to deal with cancer is the importance of
early detection. Regular screenings – self exams and those
conducted by clinicians – are the surest way of detecting tumors
in their initial stages, when they're easiest to treat. For
nearly every type of cancer, that advice is perfectly sound.
Cancer is like a brush fire, best stamped out or contained when
it first forms, before it has a chance But there are some
cancers that don't have a known formative stage, that seem to
burst onto the scene in an advanced, malignant state, having
already overrun a wide swath of tissue. Such tumors are
notoriously difficult to treat, their sudden emergence a sign of
their ferocity. One of the most common of these tumors is known
as serous ovarian cancer. Less than a quarter of the cases are
detected at an early stage, a figure reflected in the survival
rates for the disease. Serous cancers occur on the surface of
the ovaries and surrounding membranes, often in several places,
making them impossible to elimina