This month is Ovarian Cancer Awareness Month, and with International Women’s Day 2014 last Saturday, we thought we would take this opportunity to highlight this disease. Ovarian cancer is the seventh most common cancer in the world, with 239,000 new cases diagnosed in 2012 and the biggest gynaecological killer of women in the UK. Awareness of ovarian cancer is vital, as three quarters of women are diagnosed once the cancer has already spread and therefore survival rates are very poor. This makes treatment much more difficult.
Symptoms of ovarian cancer include:
- Increased abdominal size/ persistent bloating (not bloating that comes and goes)
- Difficulty eating/ feeling full
- Pelvic or abdominal pain
- Needing to week more urgently or more often
- Unexpected weight loss, changes in bowel habits
- Extreme fatigue
There are a number of recommendations which are given by the World Cancer Research Fund for cancer prevention…
- Be as lean as possible within the normal range of body weight
- Be physically active as part of everyday life
- Limit consumption of energy-dense food and avoid sugary drinks
- Eat mostly foods of plant origin
- Limit intake of red meat and avoid processed meat
- Limit alcoholic drinks
- Limit consumption of salt
- Aim to meet nutritional needs through diet alone
Information sourced from the following websites:
Ovarian Cancer Awareness Month
http://www.ocam.org.uk/
Last Saturday was International Women’s Day 2014
http://www.internationalwomensday.com/
World Cancer Research Fund
http://www.dietandcancerreport.org/