A recent study has revealed that three out of four women in middle-income countries, including Bangladesh, face an increased risk of ovarian cancer.
This finding stems from a study conducted jointly by the World Ovarian Cancer Coalition (WOCC) and the International Gynecologic Cancer Society (IGCS).
Rafe Sadnan Adel, founder and chairman of Cancer BD, as well as a board member of WOCC, revealed this result during the IGCS annual meeting held in Dublin, Ireland, on Thursday. Adel was also a member of the oversight committee for the research project.
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The study ‘The Every Woman Study’ came up with the finding, analysing data from 2,446 women across 22 low and middle income countries facilitated by the World Ovarian Cancer Coalition, a Canadian NGO, said Adel. The study was conducted in 82 hospitals in 28 different languages.
The study set out to define challenges and opportunities to improve survival and quality of life for women diagnosed with ovarian cancer in resource limited settings.
The study team, led by Frances Reid included experts such as Sahana Parveen, Clara Makewe, Irene Lo, Florencia Nol, Sara Nasser, Basel Refki, Asima Mukhopadhyay, Tracy Adams, Raikhan Bolatbekova, Dilwara Kaidarova, Garth Funston, Nzok Phan, Eva Maria Stromslom, Ransi Chibaba, Robyn Cohen, Martin Origa, Isabella Ciorgiumataram, Fedra Carlton, and Mary Eiken.
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According to Adel, the study found that the mortality rate for ovarian cancer could increase from 55% to 70% in the coming years. He emphasized the urgent need for targeted awareness campaigns to help prevent this type of cancer.
Some key findings of the study include the following:
In low- and middle-income countries:
* Two-thirds of women know nothing about ovarian cancer.
* Nine out of ten women only learn about ovarian cancer symptoms at the time of diagnosis.
* One-fourth of the women start seeking treatment after six months after symptom onset.
* None explore their family history for potential risk factors.
* Only 16% of women receive psychological support during this time.
Adel lost his mother to cancer in 2014. The same year he launched Cancer BD, the first Bangla-language website dedicated to providing information about cancer (www.cancerbd.net).
Since 2021, he has also served on the board of the World Ovarian Cancer Coalition, an international alliance of over 200 organizations working on ovarian cancer awareness and prevention worldwide.