The cancer that runs in the family


09 February 2006 10:17

A family with three generations affected by ovarian cancer today went public about their experiences and called for action to increase awareness about the disease.

Michelle Last's grandmother died of the disease, her mother is currently receiving treatment for the cancer for the second time and Miss Last has had to have an ovarian cyst removed.

Miss Last, 40, from Sewell Road, Norwich, said although ovarian cancer is the fourth most common cancer in the UK, it continues to go unrecognised and symptoms are often ignored. She is taking part in a clinical genetics trial at Addenbrooke's Hospital in Cambridge.

“Ovarian cancer is the silent killer,” Miss Last said. “In my family it is obviously genetic and that is why I am taking part in tests.

“But not enough women are aware it exists and I don't think doctors are either. GPs do not seem to recognise the condition. So much is unknown about this disease and there is no form of screening like there is for other cancers, so it cannot be detected at a curable stage and therefore many women find out when it is too late.”

Miss Last's grandmother, Madge Harold from Saxthorpe, near Holt, died in 2001 aged 88 from the cancer. Her mother Gill Last, 67, was diagnosed in 2004 and the disease returned at the end of last year.

Mrs Last's GP originally misdiagnosed the condition as diverticulitis. When the condition was detected she had a tumour on each ovary and had to have a hysterectomy and her abdominal lining removed.

However, despite six extensive chemotherapy sessions, Mrs Last found out at the end of last year that the cancer had spread outside the womb and she is undergoing further treatment.

Miss Last began having tests on her ovaries in the summer of 2004 after feeling unwell and having pains in her side. “I had sharp pains in one side and because of the family history I didn't want to risk anything,” said Miss Last, who works at Broadland Housing.

“Screening is not available so I paid for an ultrasound at the Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital. It revealed my ovary was enlarged and doctors discovered a cyst which had gone into the ovary and was bleeding into it.

“I had an ovary removed and I think things are all clear, but I have since agreed to take part in an ovarian cancer study run from Addenbrooke's.”

Mrs Last, from Fiesta Briston Road, Saxthorpe, said: “There is a lot of misdiagnosis, but catching the cancer early is vital to being able to cure it.

“Women need to feel confident to keep on pressing their doctor if they feel they have not been diagnosed properly. It is difficult to detect but it can be found through blood tests and scans.”

Miss Last wants as much research as possible to be carried out into the condition and has been taking part in tests for the last year.

“I have been doing blood tests which are looking for a mutated gene,” Miss Last said. “I am hoping the programme will lead to greater findings and more research into ovarian cancer.

“Ultrasounds are available but by this time the ovarian cancer has usually developed too far. There is no national screening programme as there is for other cancers.

“This illness should not be ignored and I want more people to be aware of the symptoms. What has happened to my family is a constant reminder how many people have the disease.”

Ü Ovarian Cancer Awareness Month runs throughout March.

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