DON’T BLAME THE GPs IF OVARIAN CANCER IS MISSED

I WAS irritated to read a charity report last week that seemed to suggest GPs are ‘ignoring’ signs of ovarian cancer. This, along with patients being unable to spot symptoms themselves, was said to be responsible for thousands of needless deaths every year because of late diagnosis. But the story isn’t that simple.

It is true that the telltale signs of ovarian cancer – bloating and pains in the lower tummy – can easily be mistaken for more common, less serious conditions such as irritable bowel syndrome. But that doesn’t mean GPs are ‘ignoring’ the possibility of ovarian cancer. The truth is not all doctors can refer patients for all the tests we think they need because of a lack of resources in certain areas.

In my North London practice, I can easily refer patients for gynaecological ultrasound scans but I know a colleague in another part of the country who can’t unless the patient is high risk.

Instead of placing all the blame with GPs, charities ought to put pressure on health chiefs to stamp out the postcode lottery within our NHS. Ministers need to identify regions with limited resources and plough more money and staff into the system.

We know the signs of ovarian cancer all too well – but if we can’t order a test, early diagnosis is virtually impossible.