The State of the Nation report, published earlier this year, confirmed what we already know to be true: that those diagnosed with ovarian cancer in England and Wales are not being diagnosed early enough, and there are significant gaps in treatment. Outcomes are poorer than in most European countries— and this simply isn’t good enough.
Worryingly, approximately 4 out of 10 women diagnosed with ovarian cancer in England in 2022 and Wales in 2023 had an emergency admission within 28 days prior to their diagnosis. Only 74.2% of those diagnosed with stage 2, 3 or 4 (or unstaged) ovarian cancer received any treatment in England in 2022, 80.3% in Wales in 2023. These are the most recent statistics.
A series of recommendations and actions were put forward by the partners in the State of the Nation report. Although the audit did not include statistics in Scotland or Northern Ireland, we know that the same recommendations would benefit patients throughout the UK. We want to see policy makers and politicians commit to making changes and putting resources in place to improve things for everyone affected by ovarian cancer.
"I have been co-chair and chair of the APPG on Women’s Health since 2022 and in that time I have heard countless stories from women who have struggled to receive information, diagnosis and support for their health concerns. The pattern is clear: women’s pain is normalised, their symptoms are dismissed too easily, and they are not listened to."
- Gill Furniss, chair of the APPG. Read the rest of this article, here.
Ovacome is pleased to have contributed to the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Women’s Health position paper on ovarian cancer. The launch of this report in the Houses of Parliament was an important opportunity to amplify the voices and experiences of our community. Our CEO delivered a speech at the meeting, urging the policymakers and MPs present to be ambitious and to set meaningful targets that will improve outcomes in the UK.
