As part of ovarian cancer awareness month women are being asked to check for symptoms and available treatments throughout March.

Ovarian cancer is often dubbed ‘the silent killer’ by doctors and is the fifth most common cancer among women in the UK with more than 7,000 diagnoses and 4,300 deaths directly linked to the disease being recorded each year.

It is estimated that one in 50 women will develop the cancer and around half of those will live for five years after being diagnosed. One in three will live for at least 10 years.

The cancer affects the ovaries, which supply eggs to the womb and, in some cases, can lead to fallopian tubes, the ovaries, a layer of stomach tissue or the womb being removed through surgery.

What are the symptoms?

• Feeling constantly bloated and having a swollen tummy

• Discomfort in your tummy or pelvic area

• Feeling full while eating

• Needing to urinate more often than normal

Dr John Butler, a consultant gynaecologist oncologist at the Royal Marsden Hospital, said: “The symptoms are generally non-specific, but if you have noticed a change in your body that has lasted for four to six weeks then visit your general practitioner.

“It will probably be nothing. A GP will see those symptoms regularly, but will only diagnose only a few of those as being ovarian cancer.

“Most people will die from the disease, but that is not to say they will not lead fulfilling lives. It is like diabetes, in the sense that you live with the disease, and advancements in treatment means people can return to work or in the case of one of our patients, who is over 80, go skydiving. It does not need to limit your life.”

Who is most at risk?

The risk of developing ovarian cancer increases as women get older with the majority of cases occurring after the menopause. About eight in every 10 diagnoses are made after the age of 50, but some rare variants of the illness can occur in younger women.

Women with a history of the cancer in the family, especially a close relative, are more likely to develop it themselves. Ovarian cancer can also be caused by inheriting a faulty gene called BRCA1 or BRCA2, which increase the likelihood of its development as well as breast cancer. Only one in every 10 cases are believed to be caused by one of those genes, however.

Endometrosis, a condition where tissue that acts similarly to the lining of the womb is found outside the organ, can lead to cancerous cells developing in the body.

Smoking, hormone replacement therapy, using talcum powder between the legs, being overweight or obese are also factors that could increase risk of developing the disease.

What treatments are available to me?

• Chemotherapy

• Surgery

• A combination of the two

Laura’s experience

Laura Moses, 28, was diagnosed in June 2016 and was transferred to The Royal Marsden for treatment.

She said: “When I finally got the diagnosis at The Royal Marsden I was shell shocked, but it was also quite comforting to know what was wrong. Cancer doesn’t discriminate, it can happen to anyone at any age.

“I was very scared about moving from weekly chemotherapy to just Avastin medication every three weeks because being at the hospital was like a safety blanket. That’s testament to everyone who works at The Royal Marsden because you feel safe in their care.

“I’m young so it was a huge shock to be receiving cancer treatment, no-one expects ovarian cancer to pop up in a 27-year-old. I’ve had to adjust to my body changing as I’m now going through the menopause but the specialist nurses are just a phone call or email away, which is very comforting.

“I’m still on maintenance treatment and I know the risk of reoccurrence so I live in a little bit of fear, but I know there’s a whole medical team behind me which helps lesson that fear, the support The Royal Marsden has given me is amazing.”

Dr Butler said: “At the Royal Marsden we are looking into ways to better treat and diagnose ovarian cancer. For three years now we have started to check for BRCA mutations in people who have the cancer as it can signal that relatives have it as well.

“When we started we thought we would 10 per cent of people we screened would have the mutation, but it turned out to be 17 per cent and this is good because we can then start treatment for those people much earlier.

“We have also started using ‘ultra-radical surgery’, which uses hot argon gas to remove cancerous tissue without needing to remove the organ and improved drugs that respond better to patients and means about 70 per cent of patients can live up to five years rather than the 30 to 40 per cent before.”

If you are concerned that you are showing signs of the illness, or your family history may mean you’re at a higher risk of developing ovarian cancer speak to your GP.

Alternatively, contact the Target Ovarian Cancer support line on 020 7923 5475, or support@targetovariancancer.org.uk.