You are part of this movement. We want you to feel empowered and informed when talking about ovarian cancer while campaigning.
The ovaries are two small organs, each about the size and shape of an almond. They're located low in the tummy area and form part of the female reproductive and hormonal systems.
Ovarian cancer starts from the cells in and around the ovary and fallopian tubes.
There are four main symptoms of ovarian cancer:
Persistent bloating
Felling full quickly and/or loss of appetite
Pelvic or abdominal pain
Urinary symptoms
Symptoms will be frequent (usually happen more than 12 times a month), persistent (they don't go away) and new (they are not normal for you).
Occasionally, there can be other symptoms. These include changes in bowel habit, extreme fatigue (feeling very tired), and unexplained weight loss. Any bleeding after the menopause should always be investigated by a GP.
More women die as a result of ovarian cancer each year in the UK than all other gynaecological cancers combined.
with ovarian cancer in the UK
That's one woman every two hours
cancer amongst women
There is an awareness crisis in ovarian cancer. We need to change this, so we're campaigning for national awareness campaigns that will give everyone the best chance of survival.
Percentage of women in the general population in the UK able to name one of the four main symptoms of ovarian cancer:
| Persistent bloating | 21% |
| Pelvic or abdominal pain | 32% |
| Feeling full/loss of appetite | 3% |
| Increased urinary urgency/frequency |
1% |
Try not to refer to ovarian cancer as a 'silent killer'. This can reinforce the perception that the symptoms of ovarian cancer can't be spotted until late stages. We want to increase early diagnosis in order to save lives, and therefore need to change these perceptions.
Cervical screenings (also referred to as smear tests) only screen for cervical cancer.
40% of women in the UK wrongly believe that cervical screening detects ovarian cancer
Transforming early diagnosis is vital to saving lives. Across the UK, too few women are diagnosed with ovarian cancer early.
Over a quarter of women visit their GP three or more times before being referred for diagnostic tests.
In England, only 32% of women are diagnosed at an early stage (stage 1 or 2). The NHS England target for early diagnosis is 75%.
One in seven women die within two months of an ovarian cancer diagnosis.
Access to treatment and cancer drugs varies across the UK. We want to improve access so that everyone has the best treatment options for them, no matter where they live.
Only 23% of women report being asked if they would like to join a clinical trial.
Older women are less likely to receive treatment. 37% of women over 70 years old receive neither surgery nor chemotherapy compared to six% of women under the age of 50.
Care and support is crucial to deal with the impact of ovarian cancer. However:
54% of those diagnosed are not asked by anyone involved in their treatment about the impact on their mental health.
62% of women who would have liked support with menopause report that it was not discussed with them.
34% of women diagnosed do not have a Clinical Nurse Specialist (CNS) with them when they got their diagnosis.
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