Ovarian Cancer Awareness Campaign

The Time to Live Your Dreams campaign aims to increase public awareness of ovarian cancer, recognizing the importance of multidisciplinary care, precision medicine and molecular biology to improve patient care.

Educating health care providers is important to making ovarian cancer visible. EFE

This ovarian cancer awareness campaign is an initiative launched by the Association of People Affected by Ovarian and Other Gynecological Cancers (ASACO) and the MSD-AstraZeneca Alliance.

The initiative focuses on the needs, experiences and hopes of patients and, in turn, on providing quality information about the disease and a message of hope as more and more patients live with this tumor.

The latest report “Cancer figures in Spain in 2024”, prepared by the Spanish Society of Medical Oncology (SEOM), warns that during this year more than 3,700 new cases of ovarian cancer are expected to be diagnosed, a disease whose total prevalence is estimated at 27,585 cases and which caused the death of more than 2,000 patients in 2022 alone.

Despite these numbers, survival has increased by approximately 9% since 2002 due to advances in tumor knowledge and in surgery and treatment.

Ovarian cancer therapy, rapid evolution

“Over the past 10 years, we have seen a breathtaking evolution in the treatment of ovarian cancer, which is not one disease, but we already know that there are at least five different types of disease,” said Dr. Antonio Gonzalez, President. from the Spanish Gynecological Cancer Research Group (GEICO) and Director of the Cancer Center Clínica Universidad de Navarra.

According to the President of GEICO, “Ovarian cancer treatment cannot be understood without a multidisciplinary approach, and this has been established in recent years in an absolutely compelling way.”

This oncologist emphasizes the importance of pathologists’ work in differentiating subtypes of ovarian cancer; radiology and nuclear medicine specialists to know the stage of the tumor; gynecologists and surgical oncologists to choose the best surgery and best approach, and finally a medical oncologist, oncology nurses and specialists such as dietitians, exercise specialists and dermatologists, among others.

Mental health, exercise or nutrition are factors considered in an interdisciplinary approach.

ASACO President Charo Hierro assured that adequate nutrition and exercise, tailored to each stage, together with psychological care play a “very important role” in the mental health of patients and their recovery.

Time to make your dreams come true, information campaign

To raise awareness about ovarian cancer, a public awareness campaign called “Time to Make Your Dreams Come True” is being launched.

In this sense, patient Pepa Montenegro sends this message: “I would like to tell all patients that during the diagnosis they will suffer, but they can get out of it and that if they need help, they should ask for it because it is necessary . “I ask you to have faith in medicine and hope in research.”

AstraZeneca’s medical director of oncology, Ana Peiro, stressed the relevance of these types of campaigns “as they help raise public awareness and at the same time demonstrate the need to guarantee patients comprehensive care to improve their quality of life.” of people”.

Pedro Ferrer, Medical Director of the Gynecological Tumors Unit at MSD, said: “With this initiative, we want to convey to patients that we are on their side and we will continue to work to offer them solutions that will improve the progression of the disease and the quality of treatment. life.” .