A woman who was faced with a 12-week wait in Scotland for life-changing surgery dived into her life savings to travel down south for the procedure.
Mags McCaul, from Wishaw, North Lanarkshire, was diagnosed with stage three high-grade cancer in August after experiencing severe bloating and abdominal pain.
After four chemotherapy sessions, the 50 year-old was forced to use her life savings to travel to England for the surgery that she was told would be a 12-week wait in Scotland, the Scottish Daily Express reports.
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Mags is now urging ministers to increase support after frightening reports showed that 41% of women reported waiting more than three months for a diagnosis.
It comes after the Target Ovarian Cancer charity's report revealed that a quarter of women with ovarian cancer, which affects around 600 women in Scotland each year, visited their GP three times or more before being referred for tests.
Mags' last scan in February showed no sign of the disease but she now fears a relapse and wants improvements to treatment options and diagnosis times in Scotland.
As well, less than half of female patients were asked about the impact that the treatment had on their mental health.
The conclusion of the report was that significant progress is possible if the Scottish Government take urgent action in addressing the weaknesses in diagnosis and treatment.
Mags McCaul said: "There are a number of things that the Scottish Government need to address when it comes to ovarian cancer.
"Access to surgery is an unacceptable issue that affects the overall landscape of care that's being provided in Scotland.
"This needs to change. If my husband and I hadn't used our life savings, I would have only just had my surgery. It's a scary thought.
"Another is support for women who have ovarian cancer. Women need to have access to support and a choice to take it or leave it, and I think it would be great if there was an automated referral process from the GP or secondary care team.
"It can be hard to find your voice and ask for support, I was well enough to find it but not everyone is."
The charity is calling for a combination of national symptoms awareness campaigns and more training for GPs which will lead to earlier diagnosis.
Symptoms of ovarian cancer also include frequent and new urinary issues, extreme fatigue and unexplained weight loss.
Annwen Jones, the charity's chief executive, said the delay in diagnosis was "unacceptable". She added: "Whilst we recognise that Scotland is leading the way with the shortest diagnostic pathway, the delays to women being referred for tests is staggering.
"We must do better and act faster to ensure women are getting the earliest possible diagnosis and earliest access to treatment, no matter where they live.
"It's very concerning too to hear from women that they aren't asked about the impact their diagnosis has on their mental health.
"We know how devastating this disease is and it crucial they are signposted to the support that is needed to deal with the many challenges that come with an ovarian cancer diagnosis.
"This needs to be provided at the right time and in the right place. This need being unmet is also unacceptable."
A Scottish Government spokesman said: "Cancer remains a priority in the NHS and we continue to work closely with NHS boards to maximise capacity and ensure people receive their care and treatment as safely and quickly as possible.
"Latest published data (Q4 2022) shows that the median wait for ovarian cancer patients in Scotland is 51 days from urgent suspicion of cancer referral to first treatment.
"We invested £10million to support boards in improving cancer waiting times in 2022/23 and will shortly publish our new 10-year cancer strategy. This will take a comprehensive approach to improving patient pathways, from prevention and diagnosis through to treatment and post-treatment care.
"The strategy aims to improve cancer survival and provide excellent, equitably accessible care across Scotland."
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