Symptoms associated with ovarian cancer include:

• Abdominal bloating

• Increased abdominal girth

• Indigestion

• Lack of appetite

• Feeling full after only a small amount of food

• Weight gain or loss

• Change in bowel habits

• Fatigue

• Urinary frequency or incontinence

• Abdominal and/or pelvic pain

• Feeling of pressure in the abdomen

Gynaecological Cancers

Ovarian Cancer

Cervical Dysplasia and Cancer

Uterine Cancer

Vulvar and Vaginal Cancer

Gestational Trophoblastic Neoplasia
(Tumours of the placenta or afterbirth)

(Information has been abstracted and modified from Essentials of Obstetrics and Gynecology, ( 4th edition) edited by Neville F. Hacker, J. George Moore and Joseph C. Gambone. The book is published by Elsevier Saunders)

Ovarian cancer is a disease that usually strikes without warning and without cause. It is a disease that takes the lives of too many of our mothers, daughters, wives and friends.

Each day women are diagnosed with ovarian cancer. They struggle with shock, anger, sadness and pain. Many ask the question, “Why me?” and then when they are one of the survivors they can still be left asking, “Why me? Why am I alright when so many others are not?”

Ovarian cancer is often called “The Silent Killer”, for many of the women who come to the Gynaecological Cancer Centre discover that they have advanced ovarian cancer. Whilst this disease requires courage and determination at all stages, it is then that the real fight begins. A fight that is carried out by the patient, her loved ones and the Gynaecological Cancer Centre’s dedicated team – a highly specialised, multi-disciplinary team that has made the fight against gynaecological cancer its life’s work.

The most common gynaecological cancers are those of the endometrium, ovary and cervix. Less common cancers are those of the vulva, vagina, fallopian tubes, and placenta. Ovarian cancer has by far the worst prognosis of these diseases. The risk of a woman developing one of the gynaecological cancers is 1 in 20.

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That means 5% of women will develop a gynaecological cancer in their lifetime. In NSW alone, 1200 women are diagnosed with gynaecological cancer each year. This could be your mother, wife, sister or daughter.

Endometrial cancer is the most common gynaecological cancer in Australia. Fortunately, early detection is the key to the high success rates today in treating endometrial cancer and survival rates of over 80% are now achieved.

Ovarian cancer is the second most common gynaecological cancer and is responsible for 1300 new cases annually in Australia. It is also responsible for 1 death every 10 hours; that is, nearly 800 women each year.

The problem is that there are usually no alarming symptoms. There could be some vague pain, bloating, nausea or indigestion, but they can all be attributed to bowel problems. Nearly 75% of patients have advanced cancer when they are first seen at the Royal Hospital for Women. This is why the overall survival rate for ovarian cancer is only 40%. All this because there is no effective screening test that can detect the disease in the early stages.