Four out of five women do not know what symptoms of ovarian cancer to look out for, according to a survey commissioned by the Irish Network for Gynaecological Oncology (ISGO).
The survey of 522 women was carried out by the Behaviour and Attitudes research company on behalf of the ISGO.
Ovarian cancer is the fourth most common cancer in women here with around 400 cases diagnosed every year and 300 women dying from it every year.
A senior researcher at Trinity College Dublin who is working on ovarian research Dr Sharon O'Toole said one of the difficulties of diagnosing ovarian cancer is that it is often confused with digestive issues.
She advised that if any women have BEAT symptoms - bloating, eating difficulties, abdominal pain, toilet changes – for more than three weeks, they should see their GP.
Speaking on RTÉ's Morning Ireland, she said that if any one of those symptoms are present and persistent to see a doctor.
"So, there are other symptoms that people might present with like bleeding, but the BEAT acronym is really the most common symptoms of ovarian cancer," she said.
She said that often people think they may have irritable bowel syndrome, but "irritable bowel rarely starts in your 50s for the first time".
"Women know their bodies. If something changes, something is new and it's persistent, then go get it checked."
While age is a risk factor for ovarian cancer, she explained, the median age for diagnosis is 65, "but it also does present in younger women and those with a genetic predisposition, it can tend to occur earlier in those women".
High death rate
Dr O'Toole said that unfortunately there is a high death rate from ovarian cancer.
"We see about 400 cases every year in Ireland with 300 deaths. So, very high mortality associated with ovarian cancer. And that's because the majority of cases are diagnosed at an advanced stage."
However, if caught early she said, it "has a good prognosis".
She said some types of ovarian cancer present at a late stage and "even though women may not have experienced any symptoms, the disease could be advanced at diagnosis".
Cervical screening does not screen for ovarian cancer and there is no screening available for the disease.
"The science hasn't caught up yet in terms of getting a sensitive screening test.
"So cervical screening just screens for those at risk of cervical cancer and that's one of the messages and I suppose what our survey showed was that over 30% of women believe that cervical screening checks for all gynae cancers.
"So, there are five gynae cancers. We have ovarian, uterine, cervical, vaginal, vulva. So, the cervical screening only checks for those at risk of cervical cancer," she explained.
A recent screening trial in the UK using ultrasound and a blood test called CA-125, "didn't show any difference in outcomes for women whether they were screened or not screened," she said.
