A leading charity has warned that too many women are "ignoring" the symptoms of ovarian cancer, prompting fears that more will end up facing a late-stage diagnosis.
According to the NHS, frequent symptoms of ovarian cancer include persistent bloating; feeling full quickly after eating or loss of appetite; pelvic pain or tenderness, and needing to pee more frequently.
New data obtained from a poll by Target Ovarian Cancer found that 99% of women did not know that needing to pee more urgently could be a symptom of ovarian cancer. Of the women surveyed 97% did not know that feeling full was a symptom, and 79% did not know persistent bloating was also another warning sign.
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According to Target Ovarian Cancer, 98% of women diagnosed with Stage I ovarian cancer survive one year or more after their diagnosis, yet two thirds of women are diagnosed at a later stage, when the cancer is more difficult to treat.
Evidence shows that one in five women over 50 who visited their GP to discuss symptoms of ovarian cancer were told they might have irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), despite guidelines being clear that IBS rarely occurred for the first time in women aged 50 or over.
Additionally, up to 40% of women in the UK incorrectly thought smear tests could detect ovarian cancer - an error that "can be fatal", according to the charity.
Early diagnosis was key, the charity said: "At the moment, too few women in England know the key symptoms of ovarian cancer.
"As there is no screening tool for ovarian cancer, to improve early diagnosis it is vital that women are aware of the symptoms so they can contact their GP as soon as they think something is wrong."
Annwen Jones OBE, chief executive of Target Ovarian Cancer, said: "These figures are incredibly disappointing. We know we've shifted the dial in the past 10 years, through the dedication of thousands of Target Ovarian Cancer's campaigners. But it is not enough. Knowing the symptoms is crucial for everyone. We need to make sustained and large-scale government-backed symptoms campaigns a reality."
Katy Stephenson, 47, from Bury St Edmunds, was diagnosed with early-stage ovarian cancer in 2021.
She said: "I had been experiencing symptoms like bloating and needing to wee more urgently for a few months, but I'd put it down to being perimenopausal. I had a fluke diagnosis when I was admitted to hospital with appendicitis. If that hadn't happened, the cancer probably would have spread, and I hate to think about what would have happened.
"I was actually told that I wouldn’t have symptoms in the early stages of ovarian cancer – but I did. I want everyone to know the symptoms of ovarian cancer. The only person that will catch them is you, so be aware of your own body, speak to a GP. And don’t be afraid to mention ovarian cancer if you're worried."
Dr Victoria Barber, a GP in Northamptonshire and advocate for early diagnosis of ovarian cancer in the primary care community, said: "Symptoms do appear early on in ovarian cancer, and your GP wants to hear from you if you're experiencing any of them, if they are new for you and if they do not go away. Similarly, it's vital that GPs are knowledgeable on ovarian cancer and know how to advise patients who have concerns. Target Ovarian Cancer has a GP education programme that can help you do this."
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