PHILADELPHIA--(BUSINESS WIRE)--A global study of women with ovarian cancer has found that two-thirds of women had never heard of the disease or did not know anything about it before their diagnosis. Although 9 out of 10 had experienced symptoms prior to diagnosis, fewer than half of those women visited a doctor within a month of noticing symptoms.
The World Ovarian Cancer Coalition Every Woman Study is the largest ever review of the experiences of women with ovarian cancer. The study also includes contributions from the clinical community. It presents a bleak picture of the challenges faced by women with ovarian cancer and those who care for them.
Approximately 239,000 women around the world are diagnosed with ovarian cancer each year and fewer than half will survive beyond five years. Studies have shown that about 15 percent of women die within two months of their diagnosis, with age, emergency presentation and co-morbidities increasing the risk. Incidence is on the rise. It is expected to reach 371,000 women each year by 2035 – a 55 percent increase.
The survey of over 1,500 women in 44 countries reveals:
- Low levels of awareness of ovarian cancer as a global problem, resulting in delays in women seeking medical attention
- Lack of awareness among doctors may also be a significant factor when it comes to delays in diagnosis
- Variations in access to genetic testing pre- and post-diagnosis where there is a family history of ovarian cancer
- Variations in access to specialist treatment, despite this being a vital step that can improve outcomes
- Countries vary on what is done well and what is most challenging when it comes to diagnosis and treatment
In the U.S., a quarter of the women surveyed waited three months or more from when they first noticed symptoms before visiting a doctor, and 1 in 10 waited over six months. U.S. women were also much less likely to report visiting a health professional within a month of when they experienced symptoms – less than the average for countries over all. These findings could be a result of a lack of awareness and access to specialized medical care.
“The survey responses from the United States were jarring and reinforce our mission to continue to raise awareness of ovarian cancer symptoms to the public but also to medical practitioners to decrease the amount of time between the onset of symptoms and diagnosis,” said Robin Cohen, CEO of Sandy Rollman Ovarian Cancer Foundation, board member of The World Ovarian Cancer Coalition and expert panel member for the Every Woman Study.
The Every Woman Study is an initiative of the World Ovarian Cancer Coalition that aims to transform survival and wellbeing of women diagnosed with ovarian cancer wherever they live in the world. The study was undertaken to establish a body of evidence that speaks to the global state of affairs of ovarian cancer. This new and unique evidence base will inform the World Ovarian Cancer Coalition’s future work and support advocates all around the world to secure the changes in their countries that women so urgently need and deserve.
Full survey conclusions and references can be found at www.worldovariancancercoalition.org.
About The Sandy Rollman Ovarian Cancer Foundation
The Sandy Rollman Ovarian Cancer Foundation, Inc. is a non-profit, 501(c)(3) organization created as a tribute to the life, character, and immense strength of Sandy Rollman who passed away from advanced ovarian cancer in May 2000. Her sister Adriana Way and her nurse Robin Cohen started the organization to keep Sandy’s memory alive while trying to prevent other women from having to endure the same pain as she did. Their mission if to fight for those who are fighting, speak for those who have fallen silent and provide for those who are working towards the end of ovarian cancer. Since its founding, SROCF has awarded over $4.1 million to ovarian cancer research.
About The World Ovarian Cancer Coalition
The World Ovarian Cancer Coalition works with 135 individual partner patient advocacy organizations from 37 countries around the world. Since 2013, the World Ovarian Day Campaign has reached well over 1,000,000 – with people taking part frequently from at least 50 countries and in 45 different languages.
Following a survey of members about their priorities for action, a series of interviews among women and clinicians in 16 countries was conducted, as well as desk research. The findings formed the basis of the Every Woman Study Online Survey, completed by 1531 women in 44 countries between March and May 2018.
All reports will be available at www.worldovariancancercoalition.org.
