World Ovarian Cancer Coalition Leads Global Campaign to Raise Awareness of Ovarian Cancer

May 8th is World Ovarian Cancer Day, uniting the call to make ovarian cancer a global health priority

Latest study finds significantly low awareness of ovarian cancer among women globally

TORONTO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--World Ovarian Cancer Day (#WOCD2025) is May 8th, when the World Ovarian Cancer Coalition and its 200 partner organizations from around the globe raise their collective voices to increase awareness of ovarian cancer and advocate for the global health community to recognise ovarian cancer as a health priority and boost crucial awareness efforts in order to save lives.

World Ovarian Cancer Coalition Global Ambassador and best-selling novelist, Deborah Harkness says, “If your body is telling you something isn’t right, LISTEN TO IT. I urge women to know the signs of ovarian cancer, make sure that you take this list of symptoms to your doctor to advocate for the right testing and the right follow-through care. Women and their doctors must be better informed about the symptoms of ovarian cancer so that they can take action. If we do this, we will truly leave no woman behind in the challenge of facing ovarian cancer.”

What women should know:

The five most common symptoms of ovarian cancer:

• Persistent bloating
• Difficulty eating
• Feeling full quickly
• Pelvic/abdominal pain
• Urinary changes

Lack of knowledge of ovarian cancer creates significant delays in diagnosis and starting treatment

Our Every Woman Study^TM: Low-and Middle-Income Edition, which documented the experiences of over 2400 women living with ovarian cancer in 22 low- and middle-income countries (LMIC), found that just one in four women (26.1%) said they had heard of ovarian cancer and knew something about it prior to their own diagnosis. This varied by country from as low as 3.3% (Nepal) to 63.2% (Uzbekistan). This stark lack of awareness is not just the case for LMICs. According to our first Every Woman Study in 2018, over two-thirds of women in high-income countries had not heard of ovarian cancer or knew anything about it prior to their own diagnosis. There is a direct link between awareness and diagnosis. The 2018 study revealed that women with more knowledge of ovarian cancer were more likely to visit their doctor within three months.

#WOCD2025 theme is “No Woman Left Behind”

World Ovarian Cancer Coalition CEO, Clara MacKay says, “No matter where she lives, every woman with ovarian cancer deserves the earliest possible diagnosis and the best possible care. Accelerating diagnosis efforts and radically boosting awareness is not just a global health and economic imperative - it’s a matter of equality and justice.”

If action is not taken to change the status quo, 12 million women will be diagnosed with ovarian cancer and eight million women will die from the disease by 2050. Ovarian cancer must be integrated into global women’s health initiatives and National Cancer Control Plans to change these stats.

Now in its 13th year, World Ovarian Cancer Day unites individuals and organizations to raise awareness about ovarian cancer and advocate for better care and treatment for those affected by the disease. To help support #WOCD2025, see the Get Involved Guide for social media artwork and other digital assets. Follow the Coalition on Instagram, Facebook, and LinkedIn.