It’s the seventh most common cancer in the world and about a 100 to 150 new cases of ovarian cancer are diagnosed in the UAE each year. Add to this the fact that awareness of this form of cancer is dismally low in the UAE. Clearly, this points to a stark reality — that all forms of cancer do not receive the kind of awareness they require. The energetic and forceful awareness pink campaigns for breast cancer, for example, have helped significantly in making women opt for early screening, thus potentially pulling them back from the brink of fatality.
Unfortunately, the same is not the case with ovarian cancer. Health authorities as well as private health entities need to take a cue from the pink campaigns and devise impactful campaigns for ovarian cancer as well.
Women over the age of 25 must be educated and encouraged to undergo check-ups every two years. As with all cancers, detecting ovarian cancer in time is critical as it is a silent killer with symptoms showing up only at an advanced stage. Early intervention can change the outcome dramatically.