The challenges of spotting ovarian cancer early

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Ovarian cancer is sometimes mistaken for other conditions, which can delay access to life-saving treatment. Dr Sharon Tate highlights how occupational health professionals can play a role in raising awareness of its symptoms, which may lead to earlier diagnosis.
There are estimated to be 41,000 people living with ovarian cancer in the UK, and around 7,000 newly diagnosed cases each year.
If diagnosed at the earliest stage, when treatment is more effective, nine in 10 women will survive, but just one in five women can name one of the key ovarian cancer symptoms: bloating.
This article will cover symptoms, misconceptions, risk factors, the conditions ovarian cancer symptoms can sometimes be confused with, and the importance of raising awareness in the workplace.

Ovarian cancer symptoms

Knowing the symptoms of ovarian cancer saves lives. They are:

• Persistent bloating – not bloating that comes and goes
• Feeling full quickly and/or loss of appetite
• Pelvic or abdominal pain (that’s your tummy and below)
• Urinary symptoms (needing to wee more urgently or more often than usual)

Occasionally there can be other symptoms:

• Changes in bowel habit (for example, diarrhoea or constipation)
• Extreme fatigue (feeling very tired)
• Unexplained weight loss
• Any bleeding after the menopause – which should always be investigated by a GP

Remember, this is not a checklist: someone doesn’t need to have all of these symptoms before speaking with their GP. Just one of these symptoms that is new, persistent, and happens over three weeks or more, is something that needs attention.

Risk factors

In general, women have a one in 50 chance of developing ovarian cancer. However, there are two main things that increase risk:

• Age: women over the age of 50 are at a higher risk; most cases of ovarian cancer occur in those who have already gone through the menopause.
• Family history of ovarian and breast cancer: 80% to 85% of ovarian cancer cases are ‘sporadic’. This means they are not inherited. However, there are genetic mutations (changes in genes) that increase a person’s risk of developing both breast and ovarian cancer. The most well-known of these are the BRCA1 and BRCA2 genes.

Dr Sharon Tate

Dr Sharon Tate is head of primary care development at Target Ovarian Cancer.