A timely ovarian cancer diagnosis begins with access to primary care. Ovarian cancer is known to be difficult to diagnose because of its vague and unspecific symptoms. While access to primary care is essential to timely diagnosis, some 6.5 million Canadians don't have a family doctor, and a third of them have been waiting for treatment for over a year. However, that's not all. Primary health care providers also need to be able to recognize symptoms of ovarian cancer and order the right tests so that patients are referred to a treatment centre and receive a formal diagnosis.
To obtain a timely ovarian cancer diagnosis, Canadian women must have access to primary care, and physicians and nurses must be equipped to recognize and respond appropriately to the symptoms of ovarian cancer.
With few exceptions, the treatments offered haven't changed much since the 1990s. The same methods are used to treat patients, namely surgery and chemotherapy. Unfortunately, these methods are ineffective in the majority of cases. Despite this, investments in ovarian cancer research lag behind investments in other cancers.
Ovarian cancer is a unique disease with unique challenges. Research on ovarian cancer hasn't had the same breakthroughs as research on many other types of cancer. Traditional research funding mechanisms haven't led to significant progress in the field of ovarian cancer. That's why Ovarian Cancer Canada and the ovarian cancer research community have proposed a new model that allows scientists to work closely together and build on the progress of their colleagues to accelerate and facilitate progress. In 2019, the Canadian government made a bold decision to invest $10 million in Ovarian Cancer Canada to fund this new research model.