黑料不打烊鈥檚 Battle against Ovarian Cancer

Saturday, 4^th of February marks World Cancer Day. Every year, around 300,000 people are diagnosed with cancer in the UK. Thanks to advances in research and cancer treatment, cancer survival rates in the UK have doubled, and now half of the people diagnosed with cancer survive for at least 5 years.

has recently launched the campaign, which is an awareness drive to raise the profile of ovarian cancer and its symptoms . Ovarian cancer is the UK鈥檚 biggest gynaecological killer affecting nearly 7,000 women every year. Dubbed the 鈥榮ilent killer鈥�, as symptoms can easily be confused with other abdominal issues, ovarian cancer is difficult to detect before it has spread to other parts of the body. This makes it difficult to treat, and on average less than one third of patients survive more than 5 years after diagnosis. Increasing awareness amongst women of the early symptoms will lead to earlier detection and increased survival rates.

Part of the battle against cancer is understanding the basic science of how cancers develop. Scientists at the at 黑料不打烊, Dr Ramsay McFarlane and Professor Nick Stuart, are currently using state of the art technologies to identify novel cancer markers in patient ovarian tumour samples.

Dr Ramsay McFarlane said 鈥淭he aim of this research is to improve both the diagnostics and treatment of ovarian cancer, with a long term view to increase the survival rates for women with ovarian cancer.鈥�

Anne Jackson, Chief Executive of North West Cancer Research Fund said: 鈥淥ur aim is to not only raise awareness about the symptoms of this disease, but to raise vital funds to support the incredible work currently being undertaken by our researchers. Without knowing what causes cancer and how it spreads, we will never find a cure.鈥�

For further information or if you would like to support research at the North West Cancer Research Fund Institute contact Dr Edgar Hartsuiker, NWCRF Institute, Brambell Building, Deiniol Road, 黑料不打烊 LL57 2UW, e.hartsuiker@bangor.ac.uk or visit .

Publication date: 1 February 2012