Ovarian cancer

Each year 7,100 women are diagnosed with ovarian cancer in England, around 250 of those women are in Kent and Medway.

Data from 2022 shows more than half (60 per cent) of cases were diagnosed at a late stage.

Let’s talk about ovarian cancer campaign

Our 'Let's talk about ovarian cancer' campaign is part of our work to increase earlier diagnosis and treat cancer sooner.

It aims to encourage women to know the symptoms of ovarian cancer, improve confidence in self-advocacy and to contact their GP practice if they are concerned.

Posters, postcards and symptom diaries

Following focus groups with women in Kent and Medway, our earlier diagnosis team developed digital and printed resources to raise awareness about the signs of ovarian cancer and encourage conversations. These include:

social media graphics
posters
postcards
a wallet-sized foldout card that includes a three- week symptom diary for people to use to make a record of their symptoms, alongside advice for getting symptoms checked.

Would you like to know more?

You can read more about the campaign on our Let’s talk about ovarian cancer page on our public involvement hub.

For more information on ovarian cancer, visit www.nhs.uk

For support with ovarian cancer, visit Target Ovarian Cancer

Signs and symptoms

Screening and early diagnosis

Our screening and early diagnosis work focuses on breaking down barriers to increase the number of people who take up screening and raising awareness of the signs and symptoms of cancer to reduce health and health care inequalities across Kent and Medway.

Faster diagnosis

The NHS Faster Diagnosis Standard (FDS) requires patients to be diagnosed or have cancer ruled out within 28 days of being referred urgently by their GP for suspected cancer. For patients who are diagnosed with cancer, it means their treatment can begin as soon as possible. For those who are not, they can have their minds put at rest more…

Personalised care and support

Personalised care means giving patients more choice and control over their care, based on what matters most to them as individuals. It is a partnership between people with cancer and their professional team.

Innovation

Kent and Medway Cancer Alliance (KMCA) is one of eight cancer alliances to participate in the Galleri-GRAIL clinical trial. The trial aims to prove whether the Galleri-GRAIL test is effective in diagnosing up to 50 types of cancer by looking for DNA markers in the blood.