The National Ovarian Cancer
Coalition (NOCC) today joins the Gynecologic Cancer Foundation and other
national organizations in announcing the first national agreement on
ovarian cancer symptoms. Often referred to as the "silent killer" due to
the common belief that there are no warning signs or symptoms, ovarian
cancer is the most deadly reproductive cancer.
The Gynecologic Cancer Foundation led this effort to form a consensus
in response to ovarian cancer survivors who long held the belief that there
were common symptoms of ovarian cancer. Researchers, including Dr. Barbara
Goff, a gynecologic oncologist at the University of Washington, have
conducted conclusive research that demonstrates that the following symptoms
are much more likely to occur in women with ovarian cancer than women in
the general population. These symptoms include:
-- Bloating
-- Pelvic or abdominal pain
-- Difficulty eating or feeling full quickly
-- Urinary symptoms (urgency or frequency)
Women who have these symptoms almost daily for more than a few weeks
should see their doctor, preferably a gynecologist.
"This agreement on common symptoms of ovarian cancer hopefully will
lead to earlier diagnosis when a cure is more likely," said Dr. Goff. "We
know that when women are diagnosed in Stage I of the disease, it is 90%
curable. Unfortunately, until now there has been no agreement on common
symptoms, allowing women to go undiagnosed, despite visits to the doctor,
until it was too late."
"Because there is no screening tool, it is crucial that the medical
community has come to a formal consensus that symptoms of ovarian cancer
exist and the appropriate action needs to be taken immediately when women
discuss them with physicians," says Jane Langridge, chief executive officer
of NOCC. "Ovarian cancer is taking far too many lives and we hope these
findings jumpstart public dialogue and awareness to ultimately improve
survival rates."
It is estimated that more than 22,000 women will be told they have
ovarian cancer this year and more than 15,000 will die from this deadly
cancer. Ovarian cancer ranks fifth in cancer deaths among women. At
present, about 80% of these cancers are not diagnosed in their early
stages, leading to a reduced chance of survival.
"In response to the lack of awareness of ovarian cancer symptoms, NOCC
recently launched the 'Break the Silence' campaign to educate women about
the signs and symptoms of the disease, and to encourage them to pay
attention to their bodies and proactively engage in discussions with their
physicians," says April Donahue, president of NOCC.
This consensus will facilitate a coordinated educational effort that
will result in both physicians and women considering ovarian cancer when
women experience these symptoms.
The National Ovarian Cancer Coalition is a 501 (c)(3) charitable
organization that provides help and hope about ovarian cancer with public
education and awareness, state divisions, a toll-free Help Line,
comprehensive web site, peer support, publications and special projects.
The National Ovarian Cancer Coalition's mission is to raise awareness and
promote education about ovarian cancer.
The Gynecologic Cancer Foundation (GCF) is a non-profit organization
whose mission is to ensure public awareness of gynecologic cancer
prevention, early diagnosis and proper treatment. In addition, the
Foundation supports research and training related to gynecologic cancers.
GCF advances this mission by increasing public and private funds that aid
in the development and implementation of programs to meet these goals.
National Ovarian Cancer Coalition
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