Our 2014 Ovarian Cancer Awareness Campaign

 

September is National Ovarian Cancer Awareness month.

 

The Massachusetts Ovarian Cancer Awareness coalition is working to increase awareness of this disease.

Massachusetts has a strong tradition of citizen activism, and this heritage extends to health care research and treatment.  In the case of ovarian cancer, personal or family experience with the disease has united three organizations that continue to raise awareness of ovarian cancer and fund research and education around this deadliest of gynecological cancers.  This year marks the thirteenth annual Ovarian Cancer Awareness Month campaign in Massachusetts that these organizations will produce.  Eager to reach as many people as possible, the three organizations continue to work together and to support each other’s events and outreach efforts.

 

Each September the Coalition launches its annual Awareness campaign. This year our awareness campaign will include television spots running throughout the month, electronic billboards  and a banner hanging from the balcony of Mayor Martin Walsh's office.

 

 

Television

 

The Coalition will debut two new television spots that will air in Massachusetts in September. The spots feature Dr. Ursula Matulonis (Dana-Farber/Brigham and Women's Cancer Center) introducing two brave women who are currently being treated for ovarian cancer and will air as part of the CBS Health Watch vignettes.

 

The televisions spots will bebegin airing on September 6th and will run throughout the month.

 

You can view the new television awareness spots above or on our YouTube channel.

 

Electronic Billboards

 

Working with the Massachusetts Depart of Transportation, the Ovarian Cancer Awareness has been able to utilize the electronic billboards throughout the state to display our awareness ads. The electronic billboards will  in September in conjunction with Ovarian Cancer Awareness month  as well as October. The billboards  urge people to get the facts about ovarian cancer.

 

 

Ovarian Cancer Awareness Banner

 

The Ovarian Cancer Awareness banner has been hung outside City Hall in Boston for the month of September. The banner urges people to recognize the signs and to get the facts about this silent killer. The banner will be seen by nearly a million people over the course of the month of September.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

OvarianCancerAwareness.org

 

Get the Facts. Recognize the Signs.

 

Ovarian Cancer is one of the most deadly of women's cancers. Each year, approximately 21,980 women will be diagnosed with ovarian cancer. In 2014, approximately 14,270 women will die in the United States from this disease. It is estimated by the World Health Organization IARC department that there are over 238,000 new cases diagnosed annually and nearly 152,000 deaths worldwide.

 

This cancer typically occurs in women in their fifties and sixties with the median age being 63. Many women who are diagnosed with Ovarian cancer have a genetic history that may include carrying the BRCA mutation gene and having a strong family history of ovarian cancer.

 

Unfortunately many women don't seek help until the disease has begun to spread, but if detected at its earliest stage, the five-year survival rate is more than 93%. The symptoms of ovarian cancer are often subtle and easily confused with other ailments.

 

Symptoms may include:

 

• Bloating

• Pelvic or Abdominal pain

• Difficulty eating or feeling full quickly

• Urinary urgency or frequency

 

Other symptoms may include:

 

• Nausea, indigestion, gas, constipation or diarrhea

• Extreme fatigue

• Shortness of breath

• Backaches

• Weight Gain

 

There is no adequate screening test of ovarian cancer at this time which is one of the reasons that this cancer is often discovered in later stages.

 

Talk to your doctor if symptoms last more than 2-3 weeks. You are your best advocate.

 

To learn more about Ovarian Cancer, please click here.

 

September is National Ovarian Cancer Awareness month

 

The Massachusetts Ovarian Cancer Awareness coalition is working to increase awareness of this disease.

Massachusetts has a strong tradition of citizen activism, and this heritage extends to health care research and treatment.  In the case of ovarian cancer, personal or family experience with the disease has united three organizations that continue to raise awareness of ovarian cancer and fund research and education around this deadliest of gynecological cancers.  This year marks the thirteenth annual Ovarian Cancer Awareness Month campaign in Massachusetts that these organizations will produce.  Eager to reach as many people as possible, the three organizations continue to work together and to support each other’s events and outreach efforts.

 

Each year, approximately 22,240 women will be diagnosed with ovarian cancer. In 2013, approximately 14,230 women will die in the United States from ovarian cancer. Many women don't seek help until the disease has begun to spread, but if detected at its earliest stage, the five-year survival rate is more than 93%.