While other cancers can be diagnosed by effective screening at an early stage (e.g. cervical cancer by PAP smear or breast cancer by mammography), an early detection test for ovarian cancer does not exist.
Ovarian cancer is known as the silent killer or the disease that whispers. The symptoms associated with the disease are vague and easily mistaken for common women’s health issues – bloating, changes in appetite, pelvic or abdominal pain or pressure, and frequent urination – so they rarely set off alarm bells. This often results in delayed action addressing the complaints and ultimately in women being diagnosed when they are at the advanced stages of the disease, significantly reducing survival rates.
Data from the American Cancer Society show that 60% of women aren’t diagnosed until the disease has spread to distant tissues. With no substantial improvement in ovarian cancer survival rates over the last two decades, the key to ovarian cancer survival lies in the development of better detection methods. If detected early, over 90% of ovarian cancer patients can be cured.
With your support and the support of our corporate partners, OCRF can continue to fund the best ovarian cancer researchers in Australia, producing some of the most innovative laboratory environments for ovarian cancer research in the world. Crucially, your donations will also enable the OCRF to ensure the stable retention of scientific expertise in the search for an early detection test.
Raising awareness around ovarian cancer and its symptoms won’t save lives. Early detection will.
VIABLE RESEARCH IS THE ANSWER AND EARLY DETECTION IS THE KEY.