According to a survey carried out by a charity association, more than three quarters of women were unaware that bloating might be a sign of the disease.
The National Cancer Institute ranks ovarian cancer as the 8th most common cancer in women. Each year, more than 5,000 new cases are diagnosed in France. Ovarian cancer causes few symptoms.
A charity has warned women regarding the presence of certain symptoms. In fact, three-quarters of women are unaware that bloating is a key sign of ovarian cancer. A survey was conducted among 1,000 women. He revealed that 79% of respondents did not know bloating was a symptom. In addition, they were 78% unaware that abdominal pain was also a sign of the disease and 97% did not know that feeling full might be another.
“These figures are incredibly disappointing. Knowing the symptoms is crucial for everyone. We need to make sustained, large-scale campaigns on government-backed symptoms a reality“, recommends Annwen Jones, general manager of Target Ovarian Cancer. Before adding: “Progress is possible. If we do this, fewer people will be diagnosed late, fewer will need invasive treatment, and ultimately fewer will die unnecessarily from ovarian cancer.“.
Pelvic pain and transit disorders
The National Cancer Institute lists certain signs that can challenge patients: detecting an ovarian mass during a gynecological follow-up, pelvic abdominal pain, an abnormal increase in the volume of the abdomen, bleeding, transit disorders, false need to have a bowel movement or very frequent or urgent urges to urinate, etc. Regarding this last symptom, the survey reveals that 99% of women did not know that the need to urinate more urgently might be a sign of the disease.
Regarding screening, 40% of women believed that ovarian cancer might be detected by screening for cervical cancer. In reality, following the discovery of an ovarian mass, several examinations are necessary to confirm the diagnosis.
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