The National Ovarian Cancer Coalition sponsored the “Break the Silence” survey to accurately measure the lack of awareness and knowledge among women about ovarian cancer in order to develop an educational campaign that addresses the disease disparities.
Awareness of Symptoms and Risk Factors
- Only 15% of women are familiar with the symptoms of ovarian cancer.
- 82% of women have never talked to their doctor about the symptoms and risk factors of ovarian cancer.
- 54% of women who haven’t spoken to their doctor about ovarian cancer don’t think it’s an issue since their doctor never initiated the discussion.
- 40% of women stated they are not sure about the risk factors of ovarian cancer.
Ovarian Cancer Misconceptions
- 67% of women incorrectly believe that a yearly Pap test is effective in the diagnosis of ovarian cancer.
- Many women incorrectly identified the use of high dose estrogen without progesterone (35 percent) and extended use of the birth control pill (27 percent) as risk factors.
- Women who have used oral contraceptives for three or more years have about a 30-50 percent lower risk of developing ovarian cancer.
Ovarian Cancer Awareness vs. Breast Cancer Awareness
- 53% of women are familiar with the symptoms of breast cancer while only 15% are familiar with the symptoms of ovarian.
- 59% of women have talked to their doctor about breast cancer; only 18% have talked to their doctor ovarian cancer.
According to the American Cancer Society, about 20% of ovarian cancers are found at an early stage. When ovarian cancer is found early at a localized stage, about 94% of patients live longer than 5 years after diagnosis. Several large studies are in progress to learn the best ways to find ovarian cancer in its earliest stage.
To learn more about National Ovarian Cancer Coalition visit www.ovarian.org
