The facts.
There aren’t many reliable stats about low-grade serous and borderline ovarian cancer. That’s because there hasn’t been enough research. Until now.
1 in 78 people with ovaries will be diagnosed with ovarian cancer in their lifetime.
1 in 10
diagnosed
with ovarian
cancer is
under 45.
The majority of those with low-grade serous and borderline serous ovarian cancer will experience a recurrence.
The chance of them entering remission from chemotherapy is less than 20%.
The average survival rate after a low-grade serous ovarian cancer diagnosis is 9 years.
The current treatment options for low-grade serous and borderline ovarian cancer are based on lack of data.
There is no test for the early detection of ovarian cancer.
70% of diagnoses don’t happen until the cancer reaches stage III or IV.
Many don’t notice ovarian cancer symptoms until the disease is in advanced stages.
In most cases, a diagnosis cannot be reached until after surgery.
Most surgery is exploratory to see how much cancer there is and what kind.
Most surgeries are done by a general surgeon, not an oncologist gynecologist surgeon, because there are so few.
The majority of these surgeries result in the removal of one or both ovaries, causing immediate menopause — no matter the age.
Not okay.
Self-advocacy shouldn’t be the only way to survive ovarian cancer.
Medical gaslighting is the #2 cause of ovarian cancer-related deaths.
The #1 cause is cancer.
Most women with ovarian cancer don’t get diagnosed until it’s too late because doctors assume their symptoms are just “woman problems”.
In fact, one study published in Academic Emergency Medicine found that women who went to the emergency room with severe stomach pain had to wait for almost 33% longer than men with the same symptoms.
45% of women surveyed didn’t think their healthcare providers took their pain seriously.
And that doesn’t even factor in race or gender identity. Women of color and trans women are statistically less likely to be taken seriously about their symptoms than cis white women.
Not okay.
Funding research and trials shouldn’t take longer than the studies, themselves.
