[2021-03-07] Ovarian cancer awareness
In 2018, the World Ovarian Cancer Coalition published its Every Woman Study, reflecting the experiences of women with ovarian cancer from around the world. Of the 1,531 women who completed the study, 66% had not heard of ovarian cancer or knew nothing about it before their diagnosis.
This is sad, though not surprising. Personally, while I had heard of ovarian cancer before my own diagnosis in July 2020, I knew very little about the disease. I didn't know that there is no reliable screening test for ovarian cancer. I didn't know that this lack of screening coupled with the disease's very generic symptoms mean that most women diagnosed with ovarian cancer are already in the later stages of the illness. And I didn't know that ovarian cancer is the most lethal of the female cancers.
And so today, on the eve of International Women's Day 2021, I felt that the greatest contribution I could make to my fellow women and others at risk of ovarian cancer is to increase awareness of the disease and its symptoms.
Part of the challenge with awareness of ovarian cancer is that it's a relatively rare disease—the seventh most common cancer in women in the world. Only about 1.4% of women in Canada will be diagnosed with the disease in their lifetime. Each year, about 3,100 women in Canada are diagnosed with ovarian cancer.
Compare that to breast cancer, which affects 12.5% of women in Canada over the course of their lifetime and is the most common cancer among Canadian women (excluding non-melanoma skin cancers). About 27,400 women in Canada are diagnosed with breast cancer each year.
Survival rates are also different. In Canada, the five-year net survival rate for ovarian cancer is 45%, meaning that about 45% of women diagnosed with ovarian cancer will survive for at least five years. By contrast, the five-year net survival rate for breast cancer in women is 88%, meaning that about 88% of women diagnosed with breast cancer will survive for at least five years after their diagnosis.
Consequently, while we may know a woman who has had breast cancer, we are much less likely to know one who has had ovarian cancer.
I believe that when we personally know someone who has had a specific disease, we are more likely to consider the possibility in ourselves. For example, when someone is diagnosed with an illness, their family members often start to wonder whether they, too, might follow the same fate.
If every person who knows me or who has come to know me by virtue of my sharing my story gives more thought to ovarian cancer—for themselves or for their mothers, sisters, daughters, granddaughters, aunts, cousins, nieces, wives, partners, colleagues, neighbours—my experience will have made a difference.
To help with that goal, I am sharing five facts everyone should know about ovarian cancer, courtesy of the World Ovarian Cancer Coalition:
- A Pap test (cervical smear test) does not detect ovarian cancer
- Ovarian cancer is often diagnosed at a late stage
- Diagnosing ovarian cancer before it spreads makes it much more treatable
- Symptom awareness might lead to quicker diagnosis
- Common symptoms include:
- Persistent bloating
- Difficulty eating
- Feeling full quickly
- Pelvic/abdominal pain
- Urinary symptoms
In my case, I had some bloating (which manifested as a slightly larger lower abdomen), occasional discomfort in the upper right quadrant of my abdomen (just under my right rib), and more frequent urination. Nothing that suggested a serious illness.
According to the World Ovarian Cancer Coalition, the results of the Every Woman Study highlighted a number of areas of focus, including:
- The need to raise overall awareness of the disease and its symptoms
- The importance of family history and access to genetic testing
- The need for access to specialist treatment and clinical trials
- The need for access to the support and information patients and their families need
In honour of International Women's Day 2021, I encourage you to share information about ovarian cancer with everyone you care about. Forward this post, provide a link to my blog (https://jenesis.postach.io/), or talk to your loved ones about their family history.