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22 July 11
Smear Test Won’t Save You From Top Cancer Threat
Nearly half of women in the UK mistakenly believe that cervical cancer is the gynaecological cancer they should most be worried about, with only a staggering 4% of women very confident that they would notice a symptom of the real life biggest killer, ovarian cancer, reports research from the charity Target Ovarian Cancer.
6,800 women are diagnosed with ovarian cancer every year. 4,500 will die from the disease – that’s more than four times as many as die from cervical cancer - and only a 30% survival rate. To expose this relatively unknown killer cancer and encourage women to recognise its symptoms, one of which is being persistently bloated and having difficulty doing up skirt and trouser zips.
Following the extraordinary campaigning and subsequent tragic death of Jade Goody in March 2009, many more women are aware of cervical cancer. Target Ovarian’s new research shows that 66% of women have received health information about cervical cancer. But the bad news is that only half as many women have received information about ovarian cancer (33%) and, shockingly, nearly a third of women (29%) mistakenly believe that a cervical smear test will detect signs of ovarian cancer. Of women diagnosed with ovarian cancer, more than half (56%) didn’t know anything about the disease beforehand.
One of the keys to surviving ovarian cancer is catching it early on. If diagnosed at the earliest stage, up to 90% of women can survive because their disease has not spread and responds more effectively to treatment. If diagnosed once the cancer has spread widely, however, around 85% of women with ovarian cancer will die. Five year survival rates in the UK are among the worst in the western world and have remained unchanged in 30 years, with a lack of awareness of symptoms and consequent late diagnosis playing a significant part. Over the same period of time, survival rates for breast cancer have risen from 50% to around 80%.
93% of GPs report that women often experience a delay in getting a diagnosis of ovarian cancer. For the majority of women until the point of diagnosis, the GP they saw most frequently did not suggest cancer. The most common diagnoses were IBS (28%) and urinary infections (18%).
Annwen Jones, Chief Executive of Target Ovarian Cancer said: "There is, as yet, no proven screening test for ovarian cancer, but research has identified the most common symptoms and shown that they occur very frequently - almost daily. Our research tells us that 98% of women do have symptoms, including those diagnosed at an early stage, but we also know that most women are just not aware that what they are feeling could signal ovarian cancer. We hope our Unzipped Campaign will help expose ovarian cancer and encourage more women to seek medical advice if they experience persistent symptoms.”
To help you find out how much you really know about the main cancers likely to affect women, Target Ovarian Cancer has launched the Quick Cancer Quiz at www.targetovarian.org.uk. Taking just five minutes, the quick fire quiz tests your knowledge of common cancer myths and facts.
Ovarian Cancer Diagnosis
The National Institute for Health & Clinical Excellence (NICE) has recently issued its first ever clinical guideline for ovarian cancer, in an attempt to improve early diagnosis and treatment for women.
NICE has recommended that women, particularly those over the age of 50, who present with frequent symptoms of bloating, feeling full quickly, lower abdominal pain and needing to urinate urgently or frequently should be offered a blood test for the presence of the protein CA125.
Women with high levels of CA125 should then be offered an ultrasound scan of the abdomen and pelvis. If this suggests ovarian cancer they should then be referred to see a specialist within 2 weeks.
Ovarian cancer is often referred to as the 'silent killer' as its symptoms can be vague and difficult to detect. However, ovarian cancer is the 5th most common form of cancer in women in the UK, and whilst recovery rates are high when the disease is detected in its early stages, once it reaches a more advanced stage the 5 year survival rate significantly decreases.
St Anthony's is able to offer both the CA125 blood test and full ovarian ultrasound services (approx £385) These are available by referral from your GP or can be requested without referral when added to our 'Well Woman' or 'Menopause Clinic' Health Screens.
For further information please visit; http://www.nice.org.uk/newsroom/news/WomenShouldBeOfferedBloodTest.jsp
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