Â鶹Éç

We’re the UK's leading ovarian cancer charity. Together with the ovarian cancer community, we’re transforming the futures of 41,000 women in the UK who are living with ovarian cancer and thousands more yet to be diagnosed. But there’s so much more to do.  

Ovarian cancer can be devastating. It kills around 11 women every single day. Over 7,000 women are diagnosed every year and more women die as a result of ovarian cancer than all other gynecological cancers combined. 

We work to:

• improve early diagnosis, because getting an earlier diagnosis saves lives. 
• fund life-saving research, to find newer and better treatments for the disease. 
• provide much-needed support to everyone affected by ovarian cancer, through our nurse-led support line, warm and welcoming Ovarian Cancer Community, award-winning ovarian cancer information, and tailor-made events. 

We're the only charity fighting ovarian cancer on all three of these fronts, across all four nations of the UK. We work with women, family members and health professionals to ensure we target the areas that matter most for those living with ovarian cancer. 

One thing you can do right now to improve things, is learn the symptoms. They can be confused for other, less serious conditions, but if they’re frequent, persistent, and new for you, then get checked by your GP: 

• Persistent bloated tummy 
• Always feeling full 
• Tummy pain 
• Needing to wee more 

I’m delighted to be supporting Target Ovarian Cancer’s appeal. An estimated 11 women die a day from ovarian cancer – that’s around 4,000 every year. Target Ovarian Cancer is a charity that provides crucial support for those affected by the disease, along with funding vital scientific research into new treatments – and helping to raise greater awareness of its early symptoms. 

Ovarian cancer is a deceptive disease which can easily be mistaken for less serious conditions. Currently two thirds of women are diagnosed once the cancer has spread, which is why Target Ovarian Cancer is training GPs to spot early signs and symptoms of the disease. They are committed to funding scientific research into improving treatments which they hope may complement or even replace those already available – like surgery or chemotherapy. And they also provide critical support services for women to access the right help at the right time. If you can, please support the charity today and help improve early diagnosis, fund research, and save lives.

Rachel is passionate about GP education, and in particular Target Ovarian Cancer’s work with GPs. She wants to improve early diagnosis of the disease and raise awareness of the symptoms among women. 

Rachel was diagnosed in 2013 with advanced ovarian cancer. Although she didn’t experience all of the most common symptoms, she knew that there was something wrong. She was sent for tests but ruling out other conditions took time and her symptoms were quickly getting worse.  

Finally, after a lot of persistence, Rachel got an ultrasound scan, and things began to move much more quickly. When she was diagnosed with advanced ovarian cancer she had just married her husband Ollie, and they had three boys between them aged 11, 12 and 14. Rachel was desperate to survive long enough for the boys to become independent adults. After treatment with major surgery and chemotherapy, she braved five years of stressful check-ups, and eight years later is doing really well. 

Target Ovarian Cancer’s medical research aims to find newer and improved treatments for the disease, as an addition to major surgery and gruelling chemotherapy. After a difficult diagnosis and a recurrence of ovarian cancer, Susannah is doing well on maintenance treatment Olaparib, one of the newer ovarian cancer drugs. The treatment is designed to help Susannah live a better quality of life for longer, alongside her husband Daniel and two children.  

After experiencing abdominal pain, bloating, and bowel problems, Susannah went back and forth to the GP several times, but was told it was IBS, then constipation. Finally, she was sent for an ultrasound, which found a mass. Over the following three months, Susannah had three surgeries and chemotherapy, as doctors battled to remove as much of the cancer as possible, and also found out she had the BRCA1 mutation. Susannah had a recurrence of ovarian cancer in 2020 (her cancer came back), was treated with further surgery and chemotherapy, and is now taking maintenance drug Olaparib. 

Annie was being monitored because she had fibroids, a more common and less deadly gynaecological condition. She began to feel bloated, had tummy pain and bowel issues, all symptoms of ovarian cancer. She had been sent for an ultrasound but at every turn her symptoms were passed off as being due to the fibroids. Finally, Annie decided to get a second ultrasound scan, and was urged to consult the GP again by the scan radiologist. Finally, Annie was sent for exploratory surgery, which in turn found stage IA mucinous ovarian cancer – a rare type of ovarian cancer.  

Annie found comfort and solace in Target Ovarian Cancer’s support line, calling when she needed support and to feel less isolated. She describes specialist nurse Val as her comfort blanket, the person who made everything clear, and who helped her to carry on through her ovarian cancer diagnosis, which was a very dark time in her life.