February is Ovarian Cancer Awareness Month and to show her support Catherine King, Federal Member will be hosting a Morning Teal for women who have been impacted by ovarian cancer in some way.
Ovarian cancer is in the top ten causes of premature death for Australian women. In the next five years, 8,000 women will be diagnosed with ovarian cancer, but sadly, it’s expected that 4,000 will die.
It is crucial that all women are aware of the signs, symptoms and risk factors for ovarian cancer and Ovarian Cancer Awareness Month draws attention to importance of this health issue.
Investment in awareness and research is critical change – that is why earlier this month Labor announced that in Government it would provide $12 million towards Ovarian Cancer Australia’s National Action Plan for Ovarian Cancer Research, potentially preventing 2500 cases of breast cancer and 800 cases of ovarian cancer.
Labor’s investment will see:
- The creation of a National Ovarian Cancer Registry, tracking the diagnosis and treatment of every woman with ovarian cancer in the country and giving researchers access to a database of clinical information.
- Further development of the Australian Ovarian Cancer Study’s world leading bio-specimen (tissue) bank to deepen research efforts into prevention and treatment of ovarian cancer.
- Three new clinical trials – giving eligible patients access to innovative precision treatment.
This will also mean ovarian cancer patients, survivors and their families will be contacted and urged to undertake genetic testing to see if they carry the BRCA gene mutation.
BRCA gene testing has the potential to significantly reduce the number of ovarian cancer cases in Australia