Ahead of World Ovarian Cancer Day on Monday 8 May, our Chief Executive Annwen Jones OBE writes about why it's so important for us to come together as a global community.
For too long women have been left behind when it comes to health equity. We know that too often women’s pain and discomfort has not been taken seriously. The prevalence of this attitude cannot continue if we want to guarantee that everyone has the best possible chance of survival and quality of life when it comes to ovarian cancer.
This is what we are all striving for. It is the north star of both Target Ovarian Cancer, which I co-founded with Joanna Barker in 2008, and which I’m proud to lead as Chief Executive, and the World Ovarian Cancer Coalition, which I helped establish in 2016 and on whose Board I’m honoured to serve as Chair.
World Ovarian Cancer Day (Monday 8 May) is our unique opportunity to come together as a global community to highlight ovarian cancer, the injustices our community face, and what needs to change in prevention, diagnosis, treatment and support - so that women across the world can live with hope for the future.
If nothing is done to change the status quo right now, by 2040 over 4 million women worldwide will have died from ovarian cancer.
Globally, ovarian cancer is the seventh most common cancer in women and the eighth most common cause of death (from cancer) in women¹, yet there is a lack of funding and investment in research, prevention, diagnosis, treatment and support.
By working together we can stop this injustice.
Through chairing the World Ovarian Cancer Coalition I have seen what is possible when we come together as a global network to raise our voice in solidarity and call for action to change the future of ovarian cancer. It’s powerful, inspirational, and relentless. Together, we can be unstoppable.
By working collaboratively across the world with healthcare professionals, politicians and key decision makers we can ensure no woman is left behind.
At Target Ovarian Cancer we do this every day to understand the landscape of this disease, to tackle the barriers to improvement and to represent every single individual living with ovarian cancer.
All too often, the diagnosis of ovarian cancer comes too late and women are misdiagnosed with other conditions like irritable bowel syndrome, or urinary infections. Target Ovarian Cancer’s latest research found that 26% of UK women with ovarian cancer symptoms reported having three or more appointments with their doctor before they were referred for diagnostic tests². And shockingly, one in five women diagnosed with ovarian cancer in England are already too ill to receive any treatment³.
We know that:
-
Improvements can be made in early diagnosis by addressing global, national and regional variation. In the UK, Target Ovarian Cancer is leading the way and has developed bespoke tools with primary care teams to help healthcare professionals spot symptoms and diagnose earlier.
-
Poor symptoms awareness is a barrier to a faster diagnosis – so we need to see urgent investment in national awareness campaigns funded by the government
-
Women must feel empowered in their health. They must be given information about treatment options and access to clinical trials.
-
Increased research into better and more personalised treatments. Read more about what we are doing in this area on the Target Ovarian Cancer research page
Over the last few years we have seen huge steps in the right direction, but the absence of a reliable screening tool and lack of investment means much more needs to be done. We can change this, and improve progress with the right backing and focus.
Together, with a shared global commitment towards ovarian cancer, we can make sure no woman is left behind.
Stand with us to end this injustice.
We know what needs to be done to address the inequalities faced by our community. That’s why we will not stop until all of our voices are heard. We will continue to write to MPs, meet with key decision makers and stand together to save lives. Add your voice to the conversation by signing up to our campaigner network.
¹ World Ovarian Cancer Coalition: stats available at: https://worldovariancancercoalition.org/about-ovarian-cancer/key-stats/
² Target Ovarian Cancer: Pathfinder: Faster, further and fairer 2022
³ Ovarian Cancer Audit Feasibility Pilot - Outputs
