Report warns needless delays are causing thousands of women’s lives to be lost to ovarian cancer

A report by Target Ovarian Cancer says there is a postcode lottery in the speed at which women are diagnosed.

Although a patient diagnosed in the early stages of the disease has more than a 90 per cent chance of survival, one in five are diagnosed too late to receive any treatment at all, and a third of patients die within a year of being diagnosed.

The point at which diagnosis is made varies widely across the UK. In England the percentage of women diagnosed at stage one or two, the point at which the cancer is still treatable, varies from 56 per cent in the best performing areas to 29 per cent in the worst.

In Wales, 43 per cent are diagnosed at stage one or two, in Scotland it is 46 per cent and in Northern Ireland 45 per cent.

The reason for this is partly due to the lack of a screening programme and the tests that do exist are inconsistently undertaken.

Target Ovarian Cancer found that some GP practices are carrying out the standard CA125 blood test 90 times more per 1,000 patients than others.

The charity’s chief executive Annwen Jones, said “Time is of the essence when facing a diagnosis of ovarian cancer.

“The countless delays women currently experience are completely unacceptable.

“Target Ovarian Cancer has been at the forefront of efforts to improve diagnosis and save lives, but time is running out.

“What we urgently need right now is concerted action by governments across the UK, to address these atrocious delays in diagnosis.”

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Posted by Karen Motley, Clinical Negligence Department, Chadwick Lawrence LLP (tonymay@chadlaw.co.uk ), medical negligence lawyers and clinical negligence solicitors in Huddersfield, Leeds, Wakefield and Halifax, West Yorkshire.

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