Ovarian cancer could be detected eight months before diagnosis using loyalty card data on over-the-counter pills, according to new research. Purchases of pain and indigestion medications are higher in women subsequently diagnosed with the disease.
Ovarian cancer is known as the 'silent killer' because it is often caught too late - once the tumour has already spread. Lead author Dr James Flanagan, of Imperial College London, said: "The cancer symptoms we are looking for are very common, but for some women, they could be the first signs of something more serious.
"Using shopping data, our study found a noticeable increase in purchases of pain and indigestion medications among women with ovarian cancer up to eight months before diagnosis, compared with women without ovarian cancer. This suggests that long before women have recognised their symptoms as alarming enough to go to the GP, they may be treating them at home.
