Ovarian cancer: Learn to read the signs

Dubai: While the world focuses on breast cancer as a leading cause of fatalities among women, a new survey conducted in the UAE reveals that of 400 women respondents, nearly 75 per cent who had ovarian cancer, were unaware of the symptoms and less likely to be diagnosed before the cancer had spread.

In Gulf Cooperation Council countries, it is estimated that approximately 1,350 women are diagnosed every year with ovarian cancer and nearly 750 die from the disease.

This condition can be managed with greater awareness, early diagnosis and treatment, according to the a new campaign called Listen to Your Body launched across the nation by a bio-pharmaceutical company, Astra Zeneca.

Dr Aladdin Maarraoui, consultant oncologist, said: “Ovarian cancer can occur at any age, with women 45 years and older at higher risk. Unfortunately, the symptoms women with early ovarian cancer experience often mimic non-serious causes, such as the menstrual cycle or indigestion,” he said. “This means they can delay seeking medical advice and it’s not until symptoms progress to the late stages that they will go to see their doctor. ”

Due to consistent late worldwide diagnoses, ovarian cancer survival rates are much lower than other cancers that affect women, with a five-year survival rate of 30 to 50 per cent.

“We know ovarian cancer causes more deaths than any other cancer of the female reproductive cancers, that’s why it’s vitally important that we do more to raise awareness of the symptoms so women get diagnosed and treated sooner,” Dr Maarraoui said.

Some of the common symptoms of ovarian cancer are bloating, pelvic or abdominal pain, difficulty in eating, or feeling full quickly.

However, Dr Faraz Khan, consultant oncologist at the American Hospital, Dubai cautioned: “Obviously not every woman who has these symptoms will have ovarian cancer, but those are the symptoms to watch for and women are recommended to visit their doctor if they experience symptoms more than 12 times during the course of one month.

Another concerning result in the survey showed that almost half (46 per cent) of the respondents did not know why it was important for women to find out whether they had inherited the BRCA gene mutation. Dr Khan explained why it was significant for women to know if they had the specific gene mutation: “A BRCA mutation is a mutation in either one of the BRCA1 and BRCA2 genes, which are tumour suppressor genes. It’s recommended for women who have a strong family history of cancer to be tested for BRCA mutations to help inform medical professionals and patients on monitoring and prevention strategies.”

Another barrier to the earlier detection of ovarian cancer is embarrassment or reluctance to discuss women’s health issues, even with a health care professional.

The survey revealed that fewer than 15 per cent of the women who participated in the survey had discussed ovarian cancer with their doctor.