Milton Keynes Hospital Helps Combat Ovarian Cancer Through Pioneering Screening Study, England

Main Category: Ovarian Cancer
Also Included In: Cancer / Oncology
Article Date: 08 Mar 2009 - 0:00 PDT

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The Love Women campaign, organised by Ovarian Cancer Action in March, aims to keep women well for longer by encouraging them to be aware of ovarian cancer and its symptoms. Milton Keynes Hospital NHS Foundation Trust is helping to prevent gynaecological cancer in 'high risk' women by participating in the UK Familial Ovarian Cancer Screening Study (UKFOCSS).

Women at high genetic risk of ovarian cancer in Milton Keynes and surrounding areas are being invited to consider joining this study, which is looking at ways to lower the risk of developing ovarian cancer and to find ovarian cancer earlier.
Ovarian cancer usually affects 1 woman in 70 in their lifetime. However, it can occur more often in some families. This may be because there is a 'faulty' gene, which runs in those families that results in women being at increased risk of ovarian cancer.

Five thousand women across the country are being invited to participate in the research project, which aims to prove whether ovarian screening is effective at detecting cancer and whether it can actually save lives. The study involves annual ovarian screening using ultrasound, and blood tests every four months. Not all NHS health care trusts offer this service, and Milton Keynes Hospital is a regional centre for this study.

It is anticipated that the results of this study will help to set good clinical practice in the future, eventually resulting in a more consistent service across the UK.

Sue George, Cancer Research Nurse at Milton Keynes Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, said: "Ovarian Cancer Awareness Month provides an opportunity to raise awareness of ovarian cancer and the research that is being carried out to help save lives.

"Most women who develop ovarian cancer have few symptoms until the cancer has spread, making the cancer more difficult to treat. As treatment is typically more successful in women diagnosed before the cancer has spread, carrying out tests (screening) may help detect cancer at a potentially curable stage."

Women may be eligible to take part in the study if:

- They are aged over 35
- They have two or more close relatives (parents, brothers, sisters and children) who developed ovarian cancer at any age or breast cancer at a young age.
- They or a family member has been to a genetic centre or family cancer clinic.
- They are already having ovarian screening.

Patients can be referred to the study either through their GP or consultant.

Surgery and chemotherapy are currently the main forms of treatment for ovarian cancer.

Key Facts - Ovarian Cancer:

- About 6,800 women are diagnosed with ovarian cancer in the UK each year.

- It is the 5th commonest women's cancer after breast, bowel, lung and womb cancer.

- 5 out of every 100 cancers diagnosed in women are ovarian cancers.

- The UK has one of the highest incidences of ovarian cancer in Europe.

- The early symptoms of ovarian cancer are often non-specific. They include bloating, pain in the pelvis and lower stomach, and difficulty eating. Being aware of the symptoms of ovarian cancer is important because if it's caught in the early 'stage one' phase up to 95% of women will live for more than five years.

Notes:

- Other Ways Milton Keynes is Fighting Ovarian Cancer

Milton Keynes Hospital, through the Myrtle Peach Fund, which is a hospital registered charity, plays a significant role treating ovarian cancer and raising vital funds for research into the causes and most effective treatments for the disease. The Myrtle Peach Trust works to raise awareness of the signs, symptoms and risk factors for the disease amongst women and their health professionals, using evidence based research.

Source
Jenny Murray, MCIPR
Communications Manager
Milton Keynes Hospital NHS Foundation Trust
Standing Way, Eaglestone, Milton Keynes, Buckinghamshire, MK6 5LD
http://www.mkhospital.nhs.uk