Ovarian Cancer Resources

As a Primary Care Professional, you can help bust the myth that cervical screening detects ovarian cancer.

New research has found that 1 in 5 people think there is a national screening programme for ovarian cancer. We also know that only 21 per cent of women in the UK can name bloating as a key symptom of ovarian cancer.

This information, in combination with Target Ovarian Cancer’s finding that 40% of women wrongly believe that cervical screening detects ovarian cancer, tells us we need to act urgently to provide better clarity on screening.

A combination of poor symptoms awareness and the misconception that national screening programmes detect ovarian cancer is putting women with ovarian cancer at risk of late diagnosis. The earlier ovarian cancer is diagnosed, the easier it is to treat.

The NHS cervical screening guide information in England has recently been updated. The guide now makes clear that cervical screening does not detect ovarian or any other gynaecological cancer, but there’s still more work to do.

Here’s how you can help to bust myths in your clinical practice:

Target Ovarian Cancer

All the information and support you need to update your knowledge of ovarian cancer, improve your practice, and drive improvements in early diagnosis and patient outcomes.

Update your knowledge

The Lancet

Non-specific symptoms present a diagnostic challenge in primary care, and can be indicative of multiple benign and serious conditions, including cancer. The Suspected CANcer (SCAN) Pathway was introduced as a non-specific symptom pathway pilot in Oxfordshire in 2017, and later adopted as standard of care in 2020. This study aims to describe the patients referred and outcomes during the first 6 operational years of the SCAN Pathway.

Access the full study

CRUK: National Cancer Diagnosis Audit

The National Cancer Data Audit (NCDA) was a UK-wide programme which ran in 2014 and 2018 with the aim of helping us to better understand pathways to cancer diagnosis in primary care and where improvements could be made to achieve better cancer outcomes.

Access the audit

Early diagnosis of symptomatic ovarian cancer in primary care in the UK: opportunities and challenges

Ovarian cancer presents particular challenges for general practitioners (GPs) to diagnose due to its rarity and presentation with non-specific symptoms. A narrative overview of the literature was conducted by searching PubMed and Researchgate for relevant articles, using keywords such as “ovarian cancer,” “primary care” and “diagnosis.”

Access the article

National Institute for Health and Care Research

A simple blood test may be much better at identifying ovarian cancer in primary care than was previously thought. New research found that the test, for women with abdominal symptoms such as pain or bloating, was most accurate in the over 50s.

Access the research article

GatewayC: Ovarian Cancer

This course aims to assist primary care staff in effectively assessing and managing patients with symptoms potentially indicative of ovarian cancer. You will be presented with video consultations following a patient, Karen Smith, who presents with bloating and abdominal pain. The course includes a range of activities to reinforce key learning points.

Access the course