Montreal oncologist urges women to screen for ovarian cancer

A team at the McGill University Health Centre is hoping to encouragemore women over the age of 50to bescreened forovarian cancer, which often goes undetected.

Dr. Lucy Gilbert says that when the DOvEE projecta clinic dedicated tothe early diagnosis ofovarian canceroperated onlyout of theRoyal Victoria Hospital, ithad a hard time reaching a diversearray of women.

Two out of three patients were anglophone, educated and affluent, she said.

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In order fortheir services and screenings to be more accessible, theteam now offers seven satellite clinics in the Montreal area.

"The demographics now of women attendingDOvEEclinics are more like the demographics of Montreal," Gilbert said.

"We are seeing many morefrancophonewomen."

Don't ignore the symptoms

While Gilbertis proud of reaching a wider demographic, she saysmany women simply ignore the symptoms of ovarian cancer since they are often mistakenly attributed to other causes.

"The initial symptoms are so mild and so vague, non-significantand non-specific," Gilbert said. "Like bloating, vague fullness, early satiety, clothes around themidriffgetting tighter."

Gilbert adds that thosemild symptoms are not always diagnosed by general practitioners in time.

In 2015, theCanadian Cancer Societyestimatedthateachyear 2,800 Canadian women arediagnosed with the disease, and 1,750 women die from it.

Bringing cancerscreening to women

The team'snext step is to offer a mobile testing clinic. The mobile clinicwould visit community centres, shopping centres and other popular venues so that women could be screened for ovariancancer close to home and work.

The project received $300,000 from the Cedars Cancer Foundationin September 2015, but Gilbert says they arefacingchallenges ofstaffing, insurance and proper layout of the unit.

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The other difficulty is making the roving unit more inviting.

"Women are frightened of the word cancer," she said. "They are not going to be entering a mobile unit that has the word cancer plastered all over it. They want a more upbeat appearance and a degree of elegance."

For now, Gilbert hopes that more women experiencing symptoms of ovarian cancer will contact them and be tested for free.

"Don't wait for it to get severe," Gilbert said. "This may save your life."

Women can contact the DOvEE project at1-866-716-3267 or by visiting their website.