Do you know your ABC's?

Ovarian Cancer Awareness: 1st - 31st March

It's time to get serious. We must end the tragic cycle of 11 women dying every day from ovarian cancer and we need your help.

Ovarian cancer cases are expected to rise by 15% by 2035

That's not great news for any women is it? If you have a daughter or granddaughter who is 25 now by 2035 she will be just over 40. She will be heading towards the highest risk age group for ovarian cancer. Whilst we know the disease is mostly likely to affect women in the over 50 age group, there will be others younger than this who are diagnosed. Currently many women are diagnosed late – so why is this? It is true the disease can be difficult to clinically detect, but we know there are symptoms and this is where you can help. We want you to tell everyone about the most important symptoms, the ABC, which if seen together and are persistent, may indicate a problem that requires more investigation.

In our recent survey, 57% of women are misdiagnosed. Delays in diagnosis is likely to affect survival.

It's as simple as ABC...

Ovarian cancer rates woefully inadequate delaying treatment and risking lives

Ovarian cancer diagnosis rates woefully inadequate, delaying treatment and risking lives according to new survey

• 57% of women initially misdiagnosed

• 20% visit doctor more than 5 times before referral for tests

• 74% not getting vital support needed from NHS

Nearly three in five (57%) women diagnosed with ovarian cancer were initially diagnosed with a less serious condition when they first started having symptoms. Two in five visited the doctor three or more times and nearly 20% (19%) had to go to the doctor more than five times before they were referred for tests for further investigation.

New findings by gynaecological cancer charity, GO Girls, revealed that symptoms of ovarian cancer sufferers are not being recognised and are more likely to be passed off as irritable bowel syndrome, stress, menopause or menstrual problems.

Women are also not getting support where they need it the most. More than half (53%) of women with ovarian cancer felt they were not given enough time to process the information when eventually receiving their diagnosis. 29% felt they most needed mental and emotional support to help them process their diagnosis. The three dominating emotions of those with ovarian cancer are fear (69%), determination to get well (64%) and overwhelmed (58%).

Once they started treatment, they were most likely to want a simple explanation of treatment and exactly what it entailed.

The support they most value from GO Girls was that it was source of information to get practical support (45%), mental and emotional support (45%) and a place of honesty where they could both be open about how they feel and where they can get truthful answers to questions (36%).

GO Girls is working in partnership with Ovacome (the ovarian cancer support charity) to offer those diagnosed with ovarian cancer support; from their initial diagnosis, through treatment and beyond. Victoria Clare, CEO of Ovacome said: “It is fantastic to be working with GO Girls to improve access to support for those diagnosed with the disease. We know from experience that having access to support and accurate, up to date information makes a real difference.”

According to Hilary Maxwell, CEO & Chair of GO Girls:

“Ovarian cancer is still mistakenly known as the ‘silent killer’ and we are seeing worrying high rates of late diagnosis which is delaying treatment and putting lives at risk. Once women finally receive a diagnosis, support is clearly something they look for and need."

It's as simple as ABC...

@GOGirls2015

If I had been aware of my ABC's I would have gone to the doctors sooner.

Beth Gillian was 43 when she was diagnosed with a low grade form of ovarian cancer. She never thought she would have been one of the 1 in 50 women that would be diagnosed with an ovarian cancer in their lifetime.

“It was not an easy road by any step; it made me re-think my life totally. I was so grateful for the support I had from the GO Girls – they really did help me at an incredibly bleak time and continue to be there for me as I need them.”

How you can get involved

1 March marks the start of Ovarian Cancer Awareness Month. We hope you will join us in spreading the word. We would like a white rose to become the symbol for ovarian cancer. Show your support with a white rose. We will be sharing information from our recent survey on issues around ovarian cancer and what women say they want. Please join us in helping us spread the word and support our work.

We will be joining with our many colleagues helping to raise awareness of ovarian cancer.

So here is how you can get involved and what you can do to help