Mariachiara Paderno, Gynecologic Oncologist at Humanitas San Pio X, shared a post on LinkedIn about a recent article by Garth Funston et al. published in The Lancet Obstetrics, Gynaecology, and Women’s Health:
“Ovarian cancer in low and middle-income countries: women’s voices matter
A new study published in The Lancet Obstetrics, Gynaecology and Women’s Health reports the Every Woman Study LMICs, the largest survey to date on the experiences of women with ovarian cancer in 22 low- and middle-income countries.
Insights from over 2,400 women highlight major gaps in care:
- Low awareness before diagnosis – only 26% knew about ovarian cancer beforehand, with strong links to education, income, and country development level.
- Symptoms are common, even in early-stage disease, challenging the idea of ovarian cancer as a ‘silent killer.’
- Late diagnosis remains frequent, with more than half diagnosed at advanced stages.
- Financial toxicity is substantial – nearly 50% reported a major financial impact.
Across all settings, women identified clear priorities: earlier diagnosis, free access to diagnostic tests and treatment, and improved awareness.
As ovarian cancer incidence rises in LMICs, these patient-reported data offer a crucial roadmap for equity-driven, context-specific interventions.”
Title: Experiences of women with ovarian cancer in 22 low-income and middle-income countries (Every Woman Study LMICs): a cross-sectional study
Authors: Garth Funston, Eileen Morgan, Tracey Adams, Rafe Sadnan Adel, Carlos Eduardo Andrade, Raikhan Bolatbekova, Runcie C W Chidebe, Robin Cohen, Mary Eiken, Dilyara Kaidarova, Karen Kapur, Iren Lau, Clara MacKay, Precious Takondwa Makondi, Asima Mukhopadhyay, Aisha Mustapha, Sara Nasser, Florencia Noll, Martin Origa, Jitendra Pariyar, Shahana Pervin, Ngoc Phan, Rebeca Ramirez-Morales, Basel Refky, Juliana Rodriguez, Afrin Fatima Shaffi, Isabelle Soerjomataram, Eva-Maria Strömsholm, Sook-Yee Yoon, Nargiza Zakhirova, Frances Reid
Read the Full Article on The Lancet Obstetrics, Gynaecology, and Women’s Health
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