Ovarian cancer

Spotting the signs could potentially save your life

- ALI HORSFALL

Did you know that the likelihood of getting ovarian cancer increases with age? In fact, eight out of 10 cases occur in women who are over 50. If you’re not aware of the facts surrounding this deadly gynaecological disease, there’s no better time to get clued up. March is Ovarian Cancer Awareness Month so here’s what you need to know about the 6th most common cancer among women in the UK.

UNMASKING THE SILENT KILLER

Every day, 11 women will lose their life to ovarian cancer* yet, despite this, awareness levels are still shockingly low. So why does this disease have the lowest survival rate of all gynaecological cancers, killing more women than womb, cervical and vaginal cancers combined? The main reason is that due to a lack of knowledge of the symptoms, it often goes undetected – not only by women, but doctors too.

‘Nearly half of women wait three months or more from first visiting their GP to getting a correct diagnosis and 27% of women are only diagnosed through an emergency, such as visiting A&E,’ says Dr. Sharon Tate of Target Ovarian Cancer.

KEY SIGNS TO SPOT