Julie Owens (Parramatta, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

to move—

That the House notes:

(1)

that Ovarian Cancer Awareness Week will be held from 24 February to 2 March 2008;

(2)

that ovarian cancer is the sixth most common cause of cancer death in women, with nearly 1,200 Australian diagnoses each year and nearly 800 Australian deaths from it each year;

(3)

that when ovarian cancer is diagnosed at an early stage, the outlook is very good—as many as 90% of women diagnosed early are cured. However, 75% of women are diagnosed at the advanced stage when it is very difficult to treat;

(4)

that it is a devastating disease that is difficult to diagnose early and treat at an advanced stage. A woman dies every 10 hours largely because of the lack of early detection tests and poor knowledge of the disease throughout the community;

(5)

that a recent Senate Community Affair’s inquiry into gynaecological cancer in Australia (tabled 27 February 2007) identified a need for increased awareness amongst the broader community about gynaecological cancers and symptoms and better educational support for general practitioners;

(6)

that a survey commissioned by the National Breast Cancer Centre has revealed that half of all Australian women believe incorrectly that a pap smear will detect ovarian cancer and that 56% of women are unable to correctly name any signs or symptoms of the disease; and

(7)

the need for greater focus on education and additional research funding to help Australian scientists to find early detection markers and more effective treatments of this insidious disease.

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