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Ovarian Cancer Calls On DOH To Launch National Symptom Awareness Campaign As New NICE Guidance Stresses Importance Of Early Diagnosis, UK.Women in the UK must

no longer die as a result of a delayed diagnosis of ovarian cancer following the release of the first official guidance to GPs and women about spotting the disease, says a leading charity. Target Target Ovarian Cancer says official figures show accurate and swift diagnosis of the fourth most common cancer killer of women could help save up to 500 lives per year[i] in the UK. This is the number that experts say would be saved in the UK if only we matched the average survival rates of other countries. Welcoming the publication of NICE's first guidance about the diagnosis and initial treatment of the disease, Target Ovarian Cancer's director of public affairs Frances Reid said: "This guidance tackles for the first time critical issues facing women who develop ovarian cancer, and could save hundreds of lives. Target Ovarian Cancer's Pathfinder Study[ii], showed a third of respondents waited more than six months for an accurate diagnosis, and a third didn't have their emotional and practical support needs met. "The Department of Health's International Cancer Benchmarking Partnership Study (2010)[iii] confirms poor early diagnosis in the UK is strongly linked to poor survival in this country." For years ovarian cancer has been wrongly called the silent killer. The misnomer has cost women's lives because it was wrongly believed that there were no symptoms associated with the disease. Only one in three women survives for more than five years following diagnosis. "Women and GPs must make themselves aware of the importance of frequent symptoms, particularly when they happen more than 12 times a month. This is what marks out ovarian cancer from less serious conditions, and must not be ignored," said Ms Reid. Esther Matthews, from Tunbridge Wells, who has been diagnosed with the disease and experienced typical symptoms, said: "This guidance for GPs and women is really important and a major step forward in making sure that women, wherever they live, get the right tests and a diagnosis as quickly as possible. I urge women and GPs to take note of the symptoms and stop calling this disease the 'silent killer'. It has symptoms and women's lives can be saved only if more people know about them." GPs need to update their knowledge of the disease and Target Ovarian Cancer has invested in a free educational tool to help doctors diagnose ovarian cancer earlier. Ms Reid added: "We're revising our award-winning GP education module with BMJ Learning, which updates essential knowledge, in line with this guidance. The module can be found here. " The present version of the module has already proven useful to GPs with over 3,000 having completed it to date, and has received an Excellence in Oncology Award (2010) "Each year given one in five GPs will see a case of ovarian cancer: this means the module will help to protect at least 600 women this year from a delayed diagnosis." She said it was also essential that women were also aware of the symptoms so that they know to go to the doctors as soon as they appear. Target Ovarian Cancer is calling for the Department of Health to launch a national awareness campaign to ensure that women are informed, and for the guidance to be implemented swiftly and consistently. Ms Reid: "Women with diagnosed ovarian cancer know how important a fast diagnosis is, they tell us that it is now imperative to include ovarian cancer in the Department of Health's cancer awareness campaigns, so that other women know to go and ask for these tests." Target Ovarian Cancer campaigns for the better diagnosis and treatment of women with ovarian cancer in the UK. Ms Reid was part of NICE expert group that helped to develop the guidelines. Notes -- Initiating tests in primary care if a woman (especially over the age of 50) reports having any of the following symptoms on a persistent and frequent basis - particularly more than 12 times per month: - persistent abdominal distension (women often refer to this as 'bloating') - difficulty eating and/or feeling full (early satiety) - pelvic or abdominal pain - increased urinary urgency and/or frequency -- Measuring serum CA125 levels[iv] in women with symptoms suggestive of ovarian cancer. If serum levels are greater than 35 IU/ml, arrange for an ultrasound of the abdomen and pelvis to be carried out. -- If an ultrasound suggests ovarian cancer, performing a CT scan of the pelvis, abdomen and thorax to establish the extent of disease. Do not use MRI routinely for assessing women with suspected ovarian cancer. -- Do not include systematic retroperitoneal lymphadenectomy[v] as part of the standard surgical treatment of suspected ovarian cancer in women whose disease appears to be confined to the ovaries. -- Offering all women with newly-diagnosed ovarian cancer information about psychosocial and psychosexual issues. [i] Eurocare-4. Survival of cancer patients diagnosed in 1995-1999. Results and commentary. Sant M, Allemani C, Santaquilani M, Knijn A, Marchesi F, Capocaccia R, the EUROCARE Working Group. European Journal of Cancer 2009, 45:931-991 [ii]See here. [iii] Coleman M, Foreman D, Bryant H, et al; Cancer survival in Australia, Canada, Denmark, Norway, Sweden and the UK, 1995-2007 (the International Cancer Benchmarking Partnership) : an analysis of population-based cancer registry data. The Lancet 2011; 377(9760): 127-138. [iv] CA125 is a protein that is found in the blood. It is also called a bio-marker because it is produced by some ovarian cancers. Levels of CA125 are measured using a blood test. It is thought that around half of all women with early stage ovarian cancer will have raised CA125 levels in their blood. [v] The term systematic retroperitoneal lymphadenectomy refers to the surgical removal of lymph nodes at the back of the abdomen.