Jill Hall (Shortland, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I move:

That this House:

(1) notes that:

(a) February is Ovarian Cancer Awareness Month, which aims to raise awareness about ovarian cancer and help women recognise the signs and symptoms of the disease;

(b) Thursday 24 February is Ovarian Cancer Awareness Day and encourages everyone to wear a teal ribbon to show their support for women living with ovarian cancer; and

(c) about 1,500 Australian women are diagnosed with ovarian cancer each year and only 43 per cent of these will survive;

(2) notes with concern that ovarian cancer is diagnosed late as the symptoms are often similar to other common health problems;

(3) acknowledges:

(a) that there is no early reliable detection test for ovarian cancer and that the Pap smear does not detect the disease; and

(b) the good work being done by Ovarian Cancer Australia to raise awareness about the signs and symptoms of the disease;

(4) recognises that the four most common symptoms of ovarian cancer are:

(a) abdominal or pelvic pain;

(b) increased abdominal size or persistent abdominal bloating;

(c) needing to urinate often or urgently; and

(d) difficulty eating or feeling full quickly;

(5) understands that every Australian woman needs to know the symptoms of ovarian cancer; and

(6) notes the need for more research funding to help Australian scientists find early detection markers and more effective treatments for this disease.

February is Ovarian Cancer Awareness Month. The purpose of this month is to raise awareness around ovarian cancer and also help women recognise the signs and symptoms of this insidious disease. Unlike other forms of cancer, ovarian cancer is very difficult to detect. There is no single test that can be undertaken that will immediately indicate that a person has ovarian cancer. When ovarian cancer is diagnosed, it is invariably too late. There are various forms of treatment and a series of different diagnostic tests. But the diagnosis quite often comes down to finding the right doctor—one who has previously been involved with the diagnosis of a woman with this insidious disease.

This morning I went to a morning 'teal' here in Parliament House. There will be a number of morning and afternoon 'teals' this month and next month. I have two in my electorate next month. At these afternoon or morning 'teals', I will be presenting bracelets which have been made by Carolyn Bear, a constituent in my electorate whose daughter, Kylie, was 34 when she died from ovarian cancer. She went through all the challenges that came with the diagnosis. I am wearing a necklace today.

About 1,500 Australian women are diagnosed with ovarian cancer each year and only 43 per cent will survive. There are many women who survive the survival period of five years but do not go on to reach the average age at which other women in this country die. Ovarian cancer is not just one disease but a range of diseases. These diseases have different cellular appearances, different molecular characteristics and different trajectories. As I mentioned, it is the late diagnosis that is quite often the problem. There is a blood test, the CA-125, and there is a CT scan, but the only absolute diagnosis comes through surgery, where tissue is removed as well as abdominal fluid. It is a really difficult disease to diagnose. Because there is no early detection for the disease, there needs to be more research into how this disease can be diagnosed earlier. It is interesting that Ovarian Cancer Australia have a national action plan for urgent priority of ovarian cancer research. It is a well designed plan and it has all the inbuilt requirements to ensure transparency and accountability. Ovarian Cancer Australia announced $1 million in funding and they are doing that in partnership with the Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre. That is a very important step forward. We must raise the need for more research.

I mentioned Carolyn and her daughter. The other constituent I have worked very closely with in my electorate is Rose Molloy. Rose is living with ovarian cancer and she is an ambassador for ovarian cancer. She will be speaking at my morning 'teals'. She goes out of her way to make people understand. She tells the story that it was only because she was persistent and went to a variety of doctors that she was finally diagnosed. That should not be the way. There needs to be a way for ovarian cancer to be detected early. Carolyn and Rose received the Shortland award for outstanding work in this area.

Bruce Scott (Maranoa, Deputy-Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Is the motion seconded?

Karen McNamara (Dobell, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I second the motion. I am proud to rise in support of this motion. I thank the member for Shortland for bringing this motion to the House. I always welcome the opportunity to lend my voice to raise awareness, to save lives and to provide support to those impacted by this deadly disease. In Australia, a woman dies from ovarian cancer every eight hours—the life of a mother, daughter or sister extinguished to this ruthless disease. The rate of ovarian cancer on the New South Wales Central Coast has fluctuated since the 1970s, but, sadly, in any given year as many as 30 women on the Central Coast will be affected. Tragically, ovarian cancer's high mortality rate is due to the absence of a proven screening test. Doctors who suspect ovarian cancer are able to perform a number of tests, including blood tests and ultrasound, to help make a diagnosis, but, as we heard from the member for Shortland, surgery is the only definite way to diagnose ovarian cancer. Throughout February, Ovarian Cancer Australia, the peak national body for ovarian cancer, campaigns to highlight the symptoms of ovarian cancer to honour the women who have lost their battle against this deadly disease and to raise vital funds to support essential educational, support and advocacy programs.

We all have a role to play in minimising the impact that ovarian cancer can have on our community by encouraging Australian women to be aware of the symptoms. This is particularly important as the prognosis for women diagnosed with ovarian cancer is generally poor due to the advanced stage of most ovarian cancers at the time of diagnosis. In fact, ovarian cancer is often overlooked until it has reached later stages because its symptoms can often point to other, more common health problems. Almost half of the women diagnosed with ovarian cancer were unable to identify any symptoms of ovarian cancer. Sadly, every year around 1½ thousand women are diagnosed and, tragically, more than 1,000 Australian women die from this disease every year. The overall five-year survival rate for Australian women diagnosed with ovarian cancer is approximately 43 per cent. If the cancer is able to be treated when it is still confined to the ovaries, 93 per cent of patients will be alive in five years. It is important for all women to know that, even if they are vigilant in getting regular Pap tests, a Pap smear will not detect ovarian cancer, only cervical cancer. This is why it is vital that all Australian women get to know what the telltale symptoms are and whether they are at increased risk. Ovarian cancer, despite the symptoms being associated with less serious health problems, is not a silent cancer and it does have recurrent health complaints. Symptoms may be non-specific and include persistent abdominal, pelvic or back pain; increased abdominal size or persistent abdominal bloating; the need to urinate often or urgently; and fullness after food, weight loss and loss of appetite. Every woman needs to be mindful of ovarian cancer and be aware of these symptoms.

Ovarian Cancer Australia was founded by people directly impacted by ovarian cancer who wanted to raise awareness of the disease and support those who have been affected. In helping women to understand the signs and symptoms, they also advocate for women not to ignore the symptoms if they find they are experiencing them frequently. They have created an ovarian cancer symptom diary for women to monitor their symptoms over a four-week period and take the diary to their GP to assist with diagnosis. The diary is an easy-to-use checklist of symptoms to help women track how they feel on a daily basis over the course of a few weeks. Women can collect one at a Chemmart pharmacy or download a copy online at Ovarian Cancer Australia's website. While many women will not end up being diagnosed with ovarian cancer, it is still just as important for them to listen to their bodies and provide opportunity for early detection. To quote Ovarian Cancer Australia:

You know your body better than anyone else, so always listen to what your body is saying and trust your instincts.

I do hope for the day when we have available widely accessible detection tests and effective treatments for this disease. It is important that we get behind organisations such as Ovarian Cancer Australia, so this Wednesday demonstrate your support by purchasing and wearing a teal ribbon to support women living with or affected by ovarian cancer. I encourage all Australians to get involved to show their support and raise awareness, and also to help raise vital funds to help reduce the impact of ovarian cancer and improve outcomes for those living with this insidious disease. Together, we can raise awareness to fight to save more lives through early detection. I commend this motion to the House.

Ms Catherine King (Ballarat, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Health) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I, too, am delighted to join with colleagues in supporting the member for Shortland's motion to raise awareness about ovarian cancer in this Ovarian Cancer Awareness Month, which raises awareness about ovarian cancer but, more particularly, tries to engage with the community so that we can actually save lives.

Ovarian cancer has not, it is fair to say, achieved the same level of public recognition as other cancers, such as the magnificent work that has been done in recent years to raise awareness of breast cancer; and yet ovarian cancer is an insidious disease which takes a terrible toll on women in Australia and around the world. Ovarian cancer is the second most commonly diagnosed women's cancer in Australia and the leading cause of burden of disease from gynaecological cancers. Almost 1,500 women in Australia and over 250,000 women worldwide are newly diagnosed every single year. Mortality is very high and barely improving, with around 1,000 Australian women dying from the disease every year. While Australia's overall cancer survival rates are the best in the world, with two-thirds of people alive five years after diagnosis, for ovarian cancer that figure is below 50 per cent, with just 43 out of every 100 women still alive five years after diagnosis. Although there has been some improvement since 1982, survival rates are low and remain well below the average for all cancers.

The reasons for that are fairly straightforward. As the Cancer Council states on its website: 'There is no screening for ovarian cancer currently available in Australia.' Under the heading, 'Preventing ovarian cancer', it states: 'There is no proven method of prevention.' With no detection and no prevention, it is an insidious cancer. It is no wonder that most women do not find out they have ovarian cancer until the disease is at its very advanced stages. The symptoms are hard to spot and are often mistaken for women simply feeling tired or rundown or going through menopause. But, with early detection vital to survival, it is crucial that we do more to raise awareness—for women and for the men and partners who love them—so that we can save more women from this disease. We have already heard that symptoms include abdominal or pelvic pain, increased abdominal size or persistent abdominal bloating, needing to urinate often or urgently, and difficulty with eating or feeling full quickly. Australia's most famous survivor of ovarian cancer, Raelene Boyle, describes the symptoms as being so minor—having a distended tummy, a sore back or bleeding—that women put up with these things. But if you do think there might be something wrong, go and get it checked out.

The average age of ovarian cancer diagnosis is around 64, but it can also affect much younger women. This was evidenced by Raelene Boyle, and just last week by the announcement that one of Australian's most successful indie-rock bands, The Jezabels, were cancelling their worldwide tour because keyboard player, Heather Shannon, had to undergo urgent treatment for ovarian cancer. She is just 36. I had an Afternoon Teal in my electorate office on Friday and I met lovely Marg, whose daughter, Loo, passed away at the age of 33 some years ago. Marg, together with Fay, who is facing her third bout of ovarian cancer—she is a tenacious one, is Fay!—and Dot, who supports them, are doing a huge amount in my local community to raise awareness. The clock tower on our town hall this month, is teal. And every time I speak to anybody in our community about the clock tower being teal, I take the opportunity to raise awareness of ovarian cancer.

For me—as I know is also the case for the member for Lindsay—this is a very personal journey. I lost a very good friend and a very good mentor, Betty Leahy. Before she succumbed to her own illness, she had also suffered the tragic loss of both her husband and her daughter—in her 30s—both of them from cancer. Bet was an extraordinary and gorgeous woman who provided financial counselling services at Child and Family Services before she retired, and who mentored me as a young social worker and friend when I worked there. Shortly before she died, Bet asked me come and see her in St John of God Ballarat Hospital. She particularly asked me to use my position as Labor's health spokesperson everywhere I go, to talk about ovarian cancer, to champion the cause, and especially to focus energy and efforts on getting more research into diagnosis, prevention and treatment. Bet, I hope I am slowly honouring your memory by doing so. I particularly want to make sure that I elevate this cause, not just here in this place but that we all use our positions in our constituencies, and our friendship and community networks, to raise awareness of ovarian cancer every single day.

Fiona Scott (Lindsay, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I would like to start by commending the member for Shortland for bringing this motion to the House, and also the spirit of bipartisanship in which wonderful women of the parliament are speaking out against this insidious disease that afflicts so many women—and that is, from my personal experience of losing a family member, possibly one of the most painful and horrific ways to die.

To raise awareness of ovarian cancer, Teal Ribbon Day will be on Wednesday this week. Ovarian cancer is a disease that we know little about. There is no screening. There is no proven method of detection. Symptoms are often very, very difficult to spot. It was once considered to be a disease that we see in older women, but we are seeing ovarian cancer appear more and more in younger women all around Australia—women in their mid-30s are fading away from this disease.

My personal journey is quite interesting. Today is 22 February. Exactly one month ago today, on 22 January, my sister-in-law Hallie Parnell lost her battle with ovarian cancer. Hallie was 36. After nearly two years of treatment, Hallie was gone. Hallie's story, much like the member for Ballarat was just discussing, started with an MRI screen because, for a number of years, Hallie had endured back pain—for six years, in fact. The MRI to investigate what was going on with her back actually showed that Hallie had ovarian cancer, and she had merely weeks to live. She was diagnosed at stage 4. She was immediately taken off for an operation—a full hysterectomy. Hallie had never been married and she had no children. Hallie would not accept the prognosis of eight weeks. She went into surgery. After enduring chemotherapy, hormone replacement treatment and pain medication that was required around the clock, Hallie passed away the day before my wedding to her brother Aaron. We continued on with our wedding because she told Aaron that she would be angry if he did not continue. That was Hallie: she was always thinking about others and others' well-being before her own.

From what I observed of Hallie's treatment in Australia, I was quite disappointed. The quality of care of the nurses and doctors in our country is second to none, and the quality of support was amazing. But because chemotherapy seemed to be the only option—and Hallie's illness often made her too sick to be able to use chemotherapy—it often really seemed quite a hopeless situation. I observed many oncologists, as did the family, wanting to apply more experimental treatments that are being used in the US. We observed oncologists being forced, in many cases by health funds, to say that some of these treatments were not an option. When one specialist considered moving ahead, Hallie’s health fund sent a threatening letter to Hallie's father saying that if a specific treatment was tried they would refuse to honour her health insurance and would not pay for even her time in hospital—even after chemotherapy had not worked. The family were told by hospital staff that this was not the first letter of this kind that they had seen. To add further insult to injury, the family was told by hospital staff that the health fund was in fact phoning around to ask the hospital the names and numbers of patients who may have been considering some of these more experimental treatments. It is important that we have health insurance, but, when we have challenges like ovarian cancer that are so insidious, I do not for one second accept that this is acceptable behaviour by Australia's health insurers. My husband's family are very upset and angry that whilst Hallie was being treated this is what they endured from this health fund. I will be taking this, as a formal complaint, to the minister as I do not believe this is acceptable. I truly believe that health funds are there to help Australians.

While it is too late for Hallie, there is a light at the end of the tunnel and we must continue to work together to fight this disease. Through Cancer MoonShot 2020, the President of the United States of America, Barack Obama, is giving researchers in the US the political backing to give specialists the motivation to look outside traditional chemotherapy. Results are already being seen in the US through the use of combined therapies, which are not available in Australia. After the experience of my family, and the battle of Hallie, I truly believe that we have fallen behind and we need to look outside merely using just chemotherapy. I will also be discussing this matter with the minister. I realise Obama’s idea is only a concept at the moment, but moving this forward is a really important way we can fight this.

I watched my sister-in-law Hallie Parnell fade away from being a bubbly, energetic girl from Melbourne to someone whose last conversation with me was about how she was still scared of dying. She had so much more life to live. There are so many other Australians, regardless of age, who deserve a better choice.

Gai Brodtmann (Canberra, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Parliamentary Secretary for Defence) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I am pleased to have the opportunity to speak about Ovarian Cancer Awareness Month. I thank the member for Shortland for moving this important motion, as she has done in previous years, and for her ongoing work in this area over a number of years. As the ACT's Ovarian Cancer Australia ambassador I am proud to be involved in raising awareness of ovarian cancer in Australia. February, as we have heard, is Ovarian Cancer Awareness Month. It is a time to promote awareness of the disease and to encourage Australians to raise funds for vital research.

We have heard from the member for Shortland and we have heard very moving and personal stories from the members for Lindsay and Ballarat about how ovarian cancer has touched their lives and affected the people they love and know. What is unusual is that there are probably not many of us whose lives have not been touched by ovarian cancer—through a friend, a workmate or a family member—yet awareness of the symptoms of ovarian cancer is so limited. Part of this exercise is to raise awareness about the symptoms of ovarian cancer, because currently there is no reliable early detection test or screening program. Each year more than 1,400 Australian women are diagnosed with ovarian cancer and around 100 will die from the disease. On average, three Australian women are diagnosed every day and one Australian woman dies every eight hours. These are shocking statistics, and that is why this month I will be joining all my colleagues to campaign in our electorates: to talk to women about the symptoms, to raise awareness of the symptoms and, importantly, to raise funds.

A major part of the problem with ovarian cancer is the late stage at which most women are diagnosed. The prognosis for women diagnosed with ovarian cancer is generally poor because they are diagnosed at a very advanced stage of the cancer. In fact, more than half these women will not live for five years after their diagnosis. But if ovarian cancer is found in the early stages up to 95 per cent of women will be alive and well after five years. Ovarian cancer often goes unchecked because the symptoms are some that many women face from time to time and are often symptoms of less serious and more common health problems. The key to early diagnosis, to being one of those 95 per cent of women who will be alive and well after five years, is to know the symptoms and to see your doctor if they arise. Almost all women are diagnosed with four symptoms: abdominal or pelvic pain, increased abdominal size or persistent abdominal bloating, needing to urinate often or regularly and urgently, and feeling full after eating a small amount. This February I ask everyone here in this chamber and in the parliament to learn these symptoms off by heart. Make sure your wives, mothers, sisters, girlfriends, daughters and friends know these symptoms too.

As well as learning and keeping watch for these symptoms there is one more thing that we can do to ensure early diagnosis—that is, to know and talk about our family history. A recent national study of 16,000 Australians, commissioned by Ovarian Cancer Australia, found that 44 per cent of Australians with a history of breast and/or ovarian cancer in their family have not spoken to their doctor about their family history. This is despite the fact that up to one in five occurrences of ovarian cancer are an inherited form of the disease, often attributed to the BRCA1 or the BRCA2 gene mutations that increase a woman's risk of developing ovarian cancer. It is imperative that Australian women know their family history of breast and/or ovarian cancer and discuss it with their GP this month. This will ensure that their GP can give an appropriate evaluation of their risk of inheriting ovarian cancer. If a GP is aware of a patient's family history of ovarian and breast cancer, together with the patient they can make more informed decisions about monitoring, genetic testing and preventive measures. This can enable a more timely diagnosis and a better chance of survival.

My message this February is to know the symptoms and to know your family history. Ovarian Cancer Australia relies on the generous support of the community to help fund research programs and support services for women diagnosed and their families. I commend their work and I ask all Australians to know those four symptoms.

Tim Watts (Gellibrand, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I do hesitate to rise after the emotional contributions of the members for Ballarat, Shortland, Canberra, Dobell and Lindsay. They all told personal stories of a disease that has affected many people in our community. I rise also as a friend of one of my constituents, Paula Benson, who has been touched personally by this disease but who, since that time, has gone on to do extraordinary work, particularly with Ovarian Cancer Australia, to raise awareness of this disease.

This is an issue that, when I first heard about it, certainly, 10 years ago, I knew next to nothing about. The symptoms of this disease, and the importance of early awareness and early diagnosis, were things that were, frankly, not at all on my radar. But since hearing of this good advocacy work, since the Morning Teal and since the ovarian cancer awareness days, this work that has been done in our community has alerted me to it. It is a discussion that I have had with my family members and with people that I know. I have asked family members whether they know the common symptoms—whether they know that abdominal or pelvic pain, increased abdominal size or persistent abdominal bloating, needing to urinate often or urgently and difficulty eating or feeling full quickly can be signs of ovarian cancer. These are generalised symptoms. It is difficult from the outside to diagnose. So it is very important that women are supported in trusting their own bodies and in seeking medical diagnosis and support. Having these conversations in families and in our community and ensuring that there is a wide knowledge of these symptoms is a very important thing that we can all be doing in this House. I congratulate those members here who have been talking about this. I encourage members to get along to the Teal Ribbon Day events that are going on in the community and in this House. I commend the member for Shortland for bringing this motion to the House and the member for Dobell for seconding it.

Debate adjourned.