Ovarian Cancer Is Not Just an Older Woman's Disease
Persisting symptoms and an incorrect diagnosis led to correct diagnosis
She developed problems urinating and going to the bathroom, and her stomach pains and tenderness persisted even after her doctor diagnosed with her a urinary tract infection. With nothing else to blame, she thought the she might be overdoing it on Christmas snacks, but the reality was far more severe. She finally went in for an ultrasound, during which the doctors found a mass in her abdomen.
The doctors confirmed the mass to be a rare variation of ovarian cancer, called a sex-cord stromal tumor. This type of tumor represents approximately 7% of all ovarian tumors, and is one of the types of ovarian cancers that cannot be attributed to any risk factors. Understandably, the news came as a shock to Whitehouse, and she was especially taken aback by the size of the tumor. At the time, she had a six-year-old daughter to fear for.
