May 8th, is the first-ever World Ovarian Cancer Day. According to the Ovarian Cancer National Alliance, the day is dedicated to raising awareness about ovarian cancer, the gynecologic cancer with the lowest survival rate.
It goes without say that an ovarian cancer diagnosis is a big, fat f-bomb. There really is no other way to describe it. Statistics related to ovarian cancer are completely yucky:
- The American Cancer Society estimates the five-year survival rate to be 43 percent.
- Ovarian cancer accounts for approximately three percent of cancers in women.
- A woman’s lifetime risk of developing invasive ovarian cancer is 1 in 72.
- A woman’s lifetime risk of dying from invasive ovarian cancer is 1 in 95.
- Ovarian cancer survival rates are much lower than other cancers that affect women.
- The relative five-year survival rate is 44 percent. Survival rates vary depending on the stage of diagnosis.
Do you wonder WTF ovarian cancer is? I prefer the The National Cancer Institute description:
Cancer that forms in tissues of the ovary (one of a pair of female reproductive glands in which the ova, or eggs, are formed). Most ovarian cancers are either ovarian epithelial carcinomas (cancer that begins in the cells on the surface of the ovary) or malignant germ cell tumors (cancer that begins in egg cells).
I know and have known way too many people with FOC (f-bomb ovarian cancer). Increasing awareness is an important initiative!
For more information and resources, please go to these links:
- Ovarian Cancer National Alliance: http://www.ovariancancer.org
- National Cancer Institute: http://www.cancer.gov/cancertopics/types/ovarian/
- American Cancer Society: http://www.cancer.org/Cancer/OvarianCancer/DetailedGuide/ovarian-cancer-key-statistics
- Sandy Rollman Ovarian Cancer Foundation: http://www.sandyovarian.org/