Vancouver, B.C.- The Province has put $150 thousand dollars towards the development of a screen for ovarian cancer.

 

The cause of ovarian cancer is largely unknown. Symptoms are often vague and there currently is no reliable screening process to detect it. Research is the key to developing more effective ovarian cancer treatments, which leads to earlier detection and a better prognosis forthose affected. Ovarian cancer has a five-year survival rate of 30 per cent, but if detected early this can climb as high as 90 per cent.

 

"After decades of making no progress in the prevention and treatment of ovarian cancer we are now at a point where we can move ahead in leaps and bounds," says Dr. Dianne Miller, gynecologic oncologist with the OvarianCancer Research Program at Vancouver General Hospital and the BC Cancer Agency. "This important gift from the Province of B.C. will assist us in developing a first-of-its kind screening and early detection tool, so we can identify and halt the progression of this deadly disease."

 

Researcherswith the Ovarian Cancer Research Program believe they can reduce the number of deaths from one specific subtype by 50 per cent over the next 20 years.