Women urged to recognise the signs of ovarian cancer

Feeling bloated most days for three weeks or more is the focus of a new Be Clear on Cancer campaign being launched by Public Health England in the North West today (10 February). 

The campaign aims to increase awareness of the symptoms of ovarian cancer and encourage women to see their doctor if they spot any signs.

Currently, women in the region have low awareness of ovarian cancer symptoms. New survey data shows that almost all (97 per cent) don’t link persistent bloating with ovarian cancer.

Latest figures show that 854 women were diagnosed with ovarian cancer in the North West in 2011. The same year, 461 women died of the disease in the region.

Finding ovarian cancer early makes it more treatable. More than 90 per cent of women diagnosed with the earliest stage of ovarian cancer survive for at least five years. This figure drops sharply to around five per cent for women diagnosed at the most advanced stage.iii Around 500 lives could be saved in England each year if survival rates for ovarian cancer matched the best in Europe.iv One way of achieving this is through earlier diagnosis.

Only 14 per cent of women in the North West would go to their doctor as their first port of call, if they felt bloated most days for three weeks or more.

Professor Paul Johnstone, the Regional Director of Public Health for North England said: “Public Health England is launching this campaign not only to raise awareness of symptoms, but to give women the confidence they need to go to their GP if they have concerns. With around 460 women dying of ovarian cancer in the North West each
year, it’s imperative they know that feeling bloated most days for three weeks or more is not normal.”

Professor Richard Edmondson, Professor of Gynaecological Oncology at the University of Manchester, said: “It is incredibly important for women to be aware of ovarian cancer symptoms. The earlier the disease is diagnosed the more treatable it is. The message to women in the North West is clear - if you feel bloated, most days, for three weeks or more, tell your doctor.”

Of those diagnosed, more than eight in 10 new cases of ovarian cancer are in women aged 50 and overv – making this age group a priority for the campaign. Worryingly, women within this age bracket in the North West are unaware that the risk of ovarian cancer increases with age – almost half (47 per cent) think women of all ages are equally likely to get ovarian cancer. Less than a fifth (16 per cent) know they are most at risk.