Ovarian Cancer Awareness Month 2007

You are here : Home

Press 2007

Press Releases 2007

Written by Communications Team

March is Ovarian Cancer Awareness Month and it is important that every woman is aware of the key facts, signs and symptoms of this important subject.

Key Facts

· Ovarian cancer is the fourth most common cancer in women, after breast, lung and bowel cancers. Each year some 7,000 women are diagnosed with the disease.

· If found in the early stages though, up to 95% of women will survive for more than five years. Unfortunately ovarian cancer has already spread in most women diagnosed with this cancer in the UK (65%), making successful treatment difficult, and survival rates much lower.

· Screening strategies are still being researched and the studies may hopefully provide some answers after 5 years. However, there is a suspicion that these strategies may not be very accurate. They may miss about 10 to 20% of ovarian cancers. Furthermore, they may also generate a considerable number of false alarms leading to unnecessary anxiety and surgery.

· 90% of ovarian cancers are not 'familial'. This means that most women will not have any family history of this cancer, so they may not be aware of symptoms and risk factors.

· Awareness can save lives. Recent research has shown that almost all women do experience symptoms, particularly very frequent, persistent and sudden onset ones, even in the early stages of ovarian cancer.

Mr Anil Tailor, Consultant Gynaecologist and a specialist cancer surgeon at Ashford and St. Peter's Hospitals andSt.Lukes Cancer Centre in Guildford comments: "It is incredibly important that women are self aware and confident enough to raise their concerns with their GP. Catching it early can have a dramatic effect on the prognosis from this terrible disease. At the moment we cannot rely on screening to detect it early. Therefore, women need to be vigilant and know what symptoms and signs to watch out for. "

Risk Factors

There are a number of factors which can affect the risk of getting ovarian cancer:

· Family history: If you have 2 or more relatives from the same side of your family affected by ovarian, or ovarian and breast cancer, you risk may be increased.

· Age: The majority of cases occur in women over the age of 40. However some types of ovarian cancer do appear in women from the age of 20 onwards.

· Childbirth: There is a slightly increased risk to women who have not had children, or breastfed.

· Weight: Being overweight may also increase risk.

· Other factors: There is no convincing proof that the use of talcum powder, or pelvic inflammation, increases the risk of ovarian cancer. However, there is strong evidence that the oral contraceptive pill considerably reduces the risk of this cancer.

Ovarian cancer used to be called 'the silent killer', even in medical text books, with most women not being diagnosed until the cancer had spread. But there is now growing scientific evidence that the frequency and combination of particular symptoms could alert women and their doctors to the possibility of ovarian cancer, even when it is in the early stages, when survival rates are much higher.

Signs and Symptoms

Diagnosis can be difficult because symptoms are often similar to those caused by more common, less serious conditions. If you have any of the following symptoms you should not panic, but discuss with your doctor if they have considered ovarian cancer. In particular you should ask your doctor about ovarian cancer if you have one or more of the following symptoms for more than 12 days a month:

· Feeling full persistently

· Difficulty eating

· Abdominal pain

· Pelvic pain

· Bloating

· Increased abdominal size

Any other sudden onset, frequently recurring or numerous symptoms should also be reported to your doctor. They can include

· Increased urinary urgency

· Abnormal vaginal bleeding

· Changes in bowel habit

· Excessive fatigue

· Indigestion or nausea