One in four women mistakenly believe a smear test detects ovarian cancer in misunderstanding that ‘could cost lives’
- Some 22% of women – 5million in the UK – think smears pick up ovarian cancer
- Health charities believe this misunderstanding is putting women’s lives at risk
- Women assume they are ‘protected’ against cancer and write off symptoms
Millions of women wrongly believe smear tests can detect ovarian cancer, experts have warned.
Health charities believe this fundamental misunderstanding is putting women’s lives at risk.
They warn that many women ignore symptoms until it is too late – mistakenly believing that the screening programme for cervical cancer will pick up all gynaelogical cancers.
This confusion means many women assume they ‘protected’ against ovarian cancer and write off symptoms when they experience them.
Millions of women wrongly believe smear tests can detect ovarian cancer (stock)
Polling by the Target Ovarian Cancer charity reveals 22 per cent of women – 5million across the UK – think smear tests will pick up ovarian cancer.
Regular smear tests are offered to all women between the ages of 25 and 64 to detect the early signs of cervical cancer.
But they do not pick up any other cancers.
There is no screening programme for ovarian cancer, because no reliable test exists.
Yet the disease, which is known as the ‘silent killer’, has few obvious symptoms, so it is often diagnosed at a very late stage.
Roughly 60 per cent of cases are diagnosed when the cancer has already spread around the body – making it very difficult to treat.
Some 7,270 women are diagnosed with ovarian cancer each year – and 4,230 die each year as a result.
A major problem is that the symptoms are often mistaken for mild complaints.
The warning signs include bloating, feeling full, tummy pain and frequently needing to go to the toilet – all issues that could be down to irritable bowel syndrome or other common conditions.
Annwen Jones, chief executive of Target Ovarian Cancer, said: ‘We need to combat the confusion around ovarian cancer and cervical screening, because while smear tests are a vital tool in public health, a similar option simply does not exist in ovarian cancer.
‘While we welcome government investment in raising awareness of the cervical screening programme, the ovarian cancer community is painfully aware that 11 women die every day from ovarian cancer and we urgently need to see a national ovarian cancer symptoms awareness campaign.
‘Women are still waiting.’