Most women don't know ovarian cancer symptoms

Nine out of ten women don't know the symptoms of ovarian cancer, a leading cancer charity has found.

A survey of 100 women diagnosed with ovarian cancer found that 90% of women questioned were unaware of the symptoms, a third had never heard of ovarian cancer and only 23% suspected they might have cancer when the symptoms first appeared.

The results of the survey were released today by ovarian cancer charity Ovacome to mark the launch of it's BEAT Ovarian Cancer campaign. The charity has produced a downloadable poster outlining the three most common early signs and symptoms of the disease for GP surgeries.

Each year in the UK, around 6,800 women are diagnosed with ovarian cancer and some 4,500 die from it. It is the most common cause of cancer death in women after lung, breast and bowel cancer.

If caught in it's earliest stages the five year survival rate for ovarian cancer is more than 70%, but this falls to 15% once the cancer has spread beyond the ovaries.

Louise Bayne, Chief Executive of Ovacome said: "In the last 20 years, there has been a transformation in the way ovarian cancer is treated - but public awareness of the symptoms has not kept up with this medical progress.

"Women are becoming more aware of other common female cancers and how to spot them - but ovarian cancer has been left behind.

"We hope that by promoting these warning signs in a memorable and easy-to-understand way, women will be more easily able to discuss ovarian cancer with their doctors, and those diagnosed with the disease can feel reassured that they were diagnosed as quickly as possible."

BEAT checklist

B - is for Bloating - persistant type which doesn't come and go

E - is for Eating less - difficulty eating and feeling full more quickly than you used to

A - is for Abdominal and pelvic pain you feel most days

T - is for Talking - tell your GP

In general, the charity advises women who regularly experience any of the three BEAT signs most days, and it's not a normal occurrence, should get them checked by their GP to rule out ovarian cancer.

You should also let your doctor know if you have two or more close relatives with either breast and/or ovarian cancer. A small number of women may have inherited genes which put them at greater risk of the disease.

More information

To download the poster, RIGHT CLICK on this text here and save it to your computer. You will need Adobe Reader to view the poster, which you can download here.

This article was published on Mon 1 March 2010