Ovarian cancer is a deadly women’s cancer which has lower survival rates than many other cancers.

It the 8th commonest cancer and the 10 year survival rate is 35%.

If you compare that to breast cancer, the commonest female cancer, the 10 year survival rate is 76%.

https://www.cancerresearchuk.org/health-professional/cancer-statistics/statistics-by-cancer-type/ovarian-cancer#heading-Three

Why is this?

Ovarian cancer is often diagnosed in the late stages of the disease which makes it difficult to treat and even harder to cure.

The reasons for this are many but often the symptoms of ovarian cancer can be vague and difficult to recognise.

Symptoms include:

• a swollen tummy or feeling bloated
• pain or tenderness in your tummy or the area between the hips (pelvis)
• no appetite or feeling full quickly after eating
• an urgent need to pee or needing to pee more often
• indigestion
• constipation or diarrhoea
• back pain
• feeling tired all the time
• losing weight without trying
• bleeding from the vagina after the menopause.

https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/ovarian-cancer/symptoms/

As you can see these symptoms are vague and non specific and could be put down to other non-serious conditions such as irritable bowel syndrome.

Is there any good news?

Yes

Ovarian Cancer can be diagnosed using a blood test called a CA 125 ( cancer antigen 125).

This is a protein that is often elevated in the blood of individuals with ovarian cancer and along side imaging techniques such as a pelvic ultrasound can help diagnose ovarian cancer in the early more treatable stages.

Contact GP Care Now and have a chat with one of the doctors if you have concerns about Ovarian cancer.