British women ‘wait longer for ovarian cancer diagnosis than MANY countries’

BRITISH women are being failed when it comes to diagnosing ovarian cancer, a study reveals.

Patients in the UK wait longer for a diagnosis than many other countries – slashing survival chances.

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A woman who sees a doctor with symptoms in the UK can expect to wait 22.2 weeks for a result. And just 30% will be told they have cancer or are clear within a month.

That is the worst result among the 44 countries examined by the World Ovarian Cancer Coalition.

Globally, 43% of women are diagnosed within a month of first seeking medical attention. Women in Japan typically wait just 11 weeks, Spain 15 weeks and Hungary 15.4 weeks.

Alarmingly, 66% of women are diagnosed after their disease has spread. A lack of awareness among GPs may be partially to blame, with some women needing multiple visits.

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Some 46% of those with symptoms were first tested for something other than cancer.

UK charity Target Ovarian Cancer warns many women are also unaware of the disease or symptoms. These can include persistent bloating, feeling full quickly, loss of appetite and abdominal pain.

Cases of ovarian cancer are rising worldwide and are expected to increase by 55% by 2035.

A rise of 15% is expected in the UK, from around 7,300 a year to 10,500 over the same period.

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Some 4,227 die from the disease in the UK each year, with one in four surviving less than 12 months. The figures come from the largest ever global review of 1,500 women with ovarian cancer.

Annwen Jones, from TOC, wants to raise awareness among women and doctors and have more access to diagnostic tests.

She added: “This study shows how the UK trails the rest of the world in diagnosing ovarian cancer early. The Prime Minister Theresa May has made a personal commitment to see more cancers diagnosed sooner, and this report shows how much more needs to be done to make that goal a reality.

“These measures could save lives, and women simply cannot wait any longer.”

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