Ovarian Cancer Research
In 2018, the American Cancer Society stated that there were about 22,240 new cases of ovarian cancer recorded and that over 14,000 women in the US died from it. In 2012, in Europe, there were over 65,000 female patients diagnosed with ovarian cancer, making it the 6th most common cancer on the continent.
For most women, it has been estimate that 1 in 79 have a chance of developing invasive ovarian cancer; 1 in 109 risk dying from it. If someone in your family has developed ovarian cancer or has died from it, your risk of ovarian cancer increases exponentially. Ovarian cancer is runs in families. It is commonly received from the mother’s side, but it may pass to you from your father’s side as well.
In fact, up to 25 percent of all ovarian cancers are part of something called family cancer syndromes, which are mutations of certain genes that make cancer more prevalent. Mutations of the BRCA1 and BRCA2 genes, among others, are often the cause. The lifetime ovarian cancer risk for those with a BRCA1 mutation is between 35-70 percent. BRCA2 mutations lead to a 10-30 percent chance of ovarian cancer.
A British survey done by the organization Target Ovarian Cancer found that only 1 percent of women recognize the most common symptom of ovarian cancer: increased need to use the bathroom.
