Increased Funding for Ovarian Cancer Petition

In light of the facts that:

• Every 11 hours, a woman in Australia dies of ovarian cancer;
• One in 70 women develop ovarian cancer in their lifetime;
• There is no effective early detection or screening program for ovarian cancer, and as a consequence when most women are diagnosed their cancer is at an advanced stage, and effective treatment is difficult;
• Many women confuse ovarian cancer with cervical cancer, and believe that screening and immunization for that covers them for ovarian cancer;
• While there have been significant improvements in outcomes for women with many cancers, and particularly breast cancer, over the past two decades, there have been few breakthroughs in research and very little improvement in treatment and outcomes of ovarian cancer;

We the undersigned call on state and federal governments to provide funding for:

• Two Research Nurse positions at the Royal Women’s Hospital to facilitate clinical trials.
• Professional development for gyneacological oncology nurses
• Infrastructural support for a national cancer database
• A professional development program to help GPs diagnose ovarian cancer.