New Guidelines for Ovarian Cancer Advise Doctors to Look Carefully at Vague Persistent
Symptoms
9 February 2003
The first clinical practice
guidelines in Australia for the management of women with ovarian
cancer recommend doctors investigate women with vague, persistent
symptoms. Ovarian cancer is difficult to diagnose at an early stage
because the symptoms are often non-specific such as abdominal bloating
or pressure, feeling tired and appetite loss.
Chair of the Ovarian Cancer
Program’s Symptoms Working Group and General Practitioner,
Dr Amanda McBride said these are symptoms that many women experience
and they do not necessarily mean that a woman has ovarian cancer.
“We need more research evidence to help doctors differentiate
symptoms which could be ovarian cancer from symptoms of benign conditions” she said.
The Clinical practice
guidelines for the management of epithelial ovarian cancer recommend
that doctors consider ovarian cancer, particularly in women with
a family history of ovarian cancer, who are older than 45 or where
symptoms persist and are not otherwise explained.
The guidelines provide
a summary for doctors of the available evidence about the management
of ovarian cancer.
“These guidelines
aim to close the gap on information for doctors and women, to raise
awareness of ovarian cancer and realise the possibility of earlier
diagnosis and optimal treatment,” Dr McBride said.
The lifetime risk of developing
ovarian cancer for women to the age of 74 is one in 100 and it is
the leading cause of death from gynaecological cancers. About 1200
Australian women are diagnosed with ovarian cancer each year.
“Around 70% of women
with ovarian cancer are diagnosed at an advanced stage of the disease
and this means that the chance of cure is much less than if it had
been detected at an early stage,” said Dr McBride.
The guidelines, which
will be made available for public consultation today, were developed
by the Australian Cancer Network and the National Breast Cancer
Centre’s Ovarian Cancer Program to ensure that all women receive
care based on the best possible evidence.
The draft Clinical
Practice Guidelines for the Management of Epithelial Ovarian Cancer can be viewed through www.ovariancancerprogram.org.au/news/index.htm
on the Ovarian Cancer Program’s web site and through www.cancer.org.au/guidelines
on the Australian Cancer Network’s website.
Further information and
interviews: Maria Leijonhufvud, telephone (02) 9036 3036 or 0438
209 83
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