Ovarian cancer treatment wait time was found to be longer than almost all other malignancies

Patients with ovarian cancer have a longer waiting time for treatment than patients diagnosed with other malignant tumors, according to a report from Target Ovarian Cancer.¹

On average, women suspected of having ovarian cancer wait an average of 69 days to start treatment after being referred by a general practitioner, the second longest waiting time except for patients diagnosed with kidney cancer. Indicates.

“Not helped by the fact that two-thirds of women with ovarian cancer are diagnosed late. They can often confuse the symptoms of ovarian cancer with the following more common conditions: there is [irritable bowel syndrome] Or menopause, it can delay things even further, and [general practitioners] Often misdiagnoses symptoms as other conditions such as: [urinary tract infection]”Alexandra Holden, Deputy Chief Executive Officer of Target Ovarian Cancer, said in a press release.² “The cause of the long waiting times for treatment is” complex “and needs to be investigated” urgently “,” she added.

The report is based on the latest statistics available from 2018, with Asian-British females waiting an average of 74.5 days from being referred to a specialist until treatment begins. I found out that I did. In addition, black women waited 73.5 days and white women waited 68 days.

Researchers warn that this report is limited and does not fully cover the challenges of people being treated or diagnosed with ovarian cancer during the COVID-19 pandemic. During the study period from June 2020 to July 2020, patients had problems with treatment.

Additional findings from the report showed more than half of all patients over the age of 70 diagnosed after an accident and emergency (A & E) visit. In particular, women over the age of 85 were twice as likely to be diagnosed with ovarian cancer after traveling to A & E as compared to women under the age of 50. Women with ovarian cancer who were diagnosed with a visit to the emergency department were often a more advanced disease type, and at this time there were few treatment options available.

“There is no need to address the level of uncertainty caused by long waiting times for treatment. Two-thirds of ovarian cancers are delayed in diagnosis, and starting treatment earlier has a significant impact on improving outcomes. May give NHS analysis [National Health Service] Cancer statistics show changes in anxiety in diagnosis, treatment, and care. And these are the numbers before the pandemic. Annwen Jones, CEO of Target Ovarian Cancer, concludes with a press release.

Targeted Ovarian Cancer also conducted a feasibility pilot for ovarian cancer audits with the aim of providing first-time care, surgery, and survival mapping in the United Kingdom.³ According to pilot findings published in January 2020, women in the UK are twice as likely to be diagnosed with ovarian cancer as in other regions, and the disease is most common in patients over the age of 50. It is a target.

In particular, the researchers observed significant fluctuations in the number of patients diagnosed with early-stage treatable disease. At the time the pilot announced, 33% of patients were diagnosed with stage I and II disease and 50% were diagnosed with stage III or IV disease. In some areas, data was missing in more than one in four women diagnosed with ovarian cancer.

reference

1. Target ovarian cancer. Corresponds to long waiting times. January 6, 2022. Accessed on January 14, 2022. https: //bit.ly/3fGIbU9

2. Women with ovarian cancer have longer waiting times for treatment than other patients. news release. Target ovarian cancer. January 5, 2022. Accessed on January 12, 2022. https://yhoo.it/3fkQ2q9

3. Target ovarian cancer. Ovarian Cancer Audit Feasibility Pilot. Accessed on January 14, 2022. https: //bit.ly/3no8Itq