New sign of deadly female cancer found

January 30, 2023  14:53

Analysis of loyalty card data may help identify cases of ovarian cancer earlier in the disease's progression, researchers from Imperial College London have found, JMIR Public Health and Surveillance reported.

Researchers analyzed the purchases of 300 women over six years, using loyalty card data from two major pharmacies. They found that purchases of medications for pain and upset stomachs were higher for women who were later diagnosed with ovarian cancer. This change in purchases could be observed eight months before diagnosis.

According to statistics, 93% of women diagnosed with ovarian cancer survive for five years or more if diagnosed at the earliest stage. If ovarian cancer is detected at the last stage, the chance of surviving for five years is 13%. At the same time, the detection of ovarian cancer in its early stages is very rare: one in five women with this disease finds out her diagnosis in the emergency room when the disease has already greatly weakened the body.

Symptoms of ovarian cancer may not be obvious in the early stages of the disease, leading some women to buy their own medicine at the pharmacy instead of seeing a general practitioner because they do not consider their condition serious. Early symptoms may include loss of appetite, abdominal pain and bloating.

In this study, participants noticed symptoms that later turned out to be associated with ovarian cancer about 4.5 months before diagnosis. Seeing a doctor shortened the time to diagnosis to 3.5 months. This emphasizes that ignoring symptoms can be dangerous.

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