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Lives are at risk because women are not taking urgent cancer symptoms seriously during the pandemic, according to research by Target Ovarian Cancer.
Cancer Nursing Practice. 20, 3, 6-6. doi: 10.7748/cnp.20.3.6.s4
Published: 04 May 2021
The research found that fewer than two in ten women (17%) would book an urgent GP appointment if they were experiencing persistent bloating.
This contrasts with other cancer symptoms such as an unexplained lump, or a mole that has changed shape, where more than 50% of women would get to their GP within a week.
The charity is concerned that early diagnosis of ovarian cancer is threatened because women think their GP is only open for urgent appointments, yet do not recognise symptoms as urgent.
The resulting delays could make them at greater risk of being diagnosed with late-stage cancer, it warns, adding that when diagnosed at the most advanced stage (stage IV) just 13% of women will survive.
For further information, visit tinyurl.com/TOC-covid-risk