If ovarian cancer is diagnosed, do doctors also look for breast cancer?
All women need regular screening for breast cancer. Women with ovarian cancer are at increased risk for getting breast cancer, so the doctor might be more vigilant in reminding a woman with ovarian cancer to get screened for breast cancer. Diagnosis and surgical treatment for ovarian cancer generally occur simultaneously and are frequently followed by intensive and aggressive chemotherapy regimens that leave the patient feeling very ill. Most physicians treating women after ovarian cancer encourage regular screening for breast cancer but this screening would not necessarily happen at or around the time of diagnosis. In the majority of cases ovarian cancer occurs in women over the age of 50 who might already be getting screened for breast cancer. These women are generally encouraged to continue screening for breast cancer after completing their initial treatment for ovarian cancer.
