Target Ovarian Cancer

Yesterday the 27th June 2011, Target Ovarian Cancer and about 70 of us Ovarian Cancer patients, went to The Houses Of Parliament in London  for the Target Ovarian Cancer Parliamentary Reception.

Here is what it was all about

The lives of 500 women could be saved every year if they received an earlier diagnosis for ovarian cancer, campaigners say.

The disease has the second highest rate of late diagnosis of any cancer, after pancreatic cancer, and one in three women is only diagnosed after admission to A&E.

The charity Target Ovarian Cancer is calling on the Government to improve early diagnosis through a national awareness campaign, and for GPs to carry out easy checks on women with symptoms.

The National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (Nice) has recommended that GPs who suspect women have the disease order a simple blood test.

As part of its Let's Talk campaign, Target Ovarian Cancer is highlighting a "postcode lottery" in survival rates across the UK and a gap in survival between the UK and many parts of Europe.

More than 6,500 women in the UK are diagnosed with ovarian cancer every year, and the disease kills more than 4,300 annually.

About four out of 10 women live for at least five years after diagnosis, dropping to three in 10 after a decade.

Symptoms include persistent pelvic or abdominal pain, increased abdominal size or bloating that does not go away, difficulty eating or feeling full quickly and needing to pass urine more urgently or often. Other signs can include changes in bowel movements and extreme tiredness.

Annwen Jones, chief executive of Target Ovarian Cancer, said: "Over the last few years, we have taken decisive action to break the vicious cycle of poor awareness, low survival and chronic underfunding.

"Today, with the launch of Let's Talk, we are starting a new movement to persuade the Government to take further action to improve diagnosis."