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September is Gynecologic Cancer
Awareness Month

July 2007

Dear Colleagues and Friends,

As you know, September is both Gynecologic Cancer Awareness Month and Ovarian Cancer Awareness Month. This year the Gynecologic Cancer Foundation (GCF) joins with the ovarian cancer advocacy community in educating women about the symptoms of ovarian cancer.

In June, 2007 a new national consensus on ovarian cancer symptoms was announced. Formulated by GCF, the Society of Gynecologic Oncologists and the American Cancer Society, the consensus statement, that can be found in the “Sample Media Materials” section, has been endorsed by 38 gynecologic cancer advocacy organizations.

Historically ovarian cancer was called the “silent killer” because symptoms were not thought to develop until the chance of cure was poor. However, recent studies have shown this term is untrue and that the following symptoms are much more likely to occur in women with ovarian cancer than women in the general population. These symptoms include:

Bloating
Pelvic or abdominal pain
Difficulty eating or feeling full quickly
Urinary symptoms (urgency or frequency)

Women with ovarian cancer report that symptoms are persistent and represent a change from normal for their bodies. The frequency and/or number of such symptoms are key factors in the diagnosis of ovarian cancer. Several studies show that even early stage ovarian cancer can produce these symptoms.

Women who have these symptoms almost daily for more than a few weeks should see their doctor, preferably a gynecologist. Prompt medical evaluation may lead to detection at the earliest possible stage of the disease. Early stage diagnosis is associated with an improved prognosis.

Several other symptoms have been commonly reported by women with ovarian cancer. These symptoms include fatigue, indigestion, back pain, pain with intercourse, constipation and menstrual irregularities. However, these other symptoms are not as useful in identifying ovarian cancer because they are also found in equal frequency in women in the general population who do not have ovarian cancer.

Please join us in our efforts to make women aware of these symptoms as you conduct awareness efforts in your community.

To assist you with these awareness activities during GCAM, we are again distributing this publicity kit, which includes information, tips and tools for events, reaching the media and sharing key messages. We hope you find it useful and, as always, seek your insight as to how we can improve it even more.

In our efforts to continue to make our efforts as meaningful as possible, we ask your help in completing the following:

A member activity form to track your planned events and inform GCF.
A results form to let GCF know about the success of your GCAM activities.
A publicity kit survey form, to help GCF learn how to refine the kit for future GCAM activities.
A promotional/educational materials order form, in case you wish to have additional materials on hand for GCAM or other activities.

Please take a moment to fill out these forms and send them in. Your input helps us reach even more women each year about GCAM.

Should you need additional resources or information, please feel free to contact Karen Carlson, GCF’s Executive Director, at 312.578.1439.

Again, thank you for your continued support and dedication.

Good luck and best wishes for GCAM.