Surgery is the standard treatment when possible, Ross explains, followed by chemotherapy, which is “like a game of Whack-A-Mole.” This is because ovarian cancer cells evolve and are not all the same type of cell, making targeted chemotherapy less effective.
Although it doesn't receive as much public attention as breast or lung cancer, awareness of ovarian cancer is growing, and efforts are underway within the research community to improve how it is detected, treated, and, most importantly, prevented in the first place.
“We have a really strong community dedicated to ovarian cancer,” says Ross, adding that while there were only a handful of scientists working on the disease in Canada in the 1990s, today it has grown to a network of more than 300 across the country. Ovarian Cancer Canada also works closely with patient partners, a group of 20 women with ovarian cancer who are part of a research team funded by the organization.
“We give the patient voice a voice, so many of them are sick, relapsing, or on active treatment, but they are committed to being part of the research community. I think that gives people hope.”
Ovarian cancer statistics in canada
According to the Canadian Ovarian Cancer Society, approximately 3,000 women in Canada are diagnosed with ovarian cancer each year, and 2,000 women die from the disease each year. These numbers are expected to increase due to the aging and population growth. Most epithelial ovarian cancers are found in postmenopausal women, so aging is one of the biggest risk factors. Other risk factors include a family history of ovarian cancer, a BRCA gene mutation (a breast cancer gene that increases the risk of breast and ovarian cancer), being overweight, endometriosis, smoking, and sedentary behavior.