Ovarian Cancer Awareness Session @GGS

According to the 2012 Human Development Index in Asia, China has the highest number of annual cases of ovarian cancer (34,575), followed by India (26,834). By the end of 2020, it is expected that 59,276 new cases of ovarian cancer will have been diagnosed in India. By 2035, the annual incidence of ovarian cancer is expected to rise by 55% to 371,000 cases, with a death rate of 67 percent to 254,000 cases. According to their 2014–2016 study, roughly 229,875 women in the United States were diagnosed with ovarian cancer. There are 13.92 incidences/frequencies per 100,000 inhabitants in Europe. According to the World Ovarian Cancer Coalition Atlas 2018, India has the second highest ovarian carcinoma incidence/frequency in the world. In India, the highest incidence was seen in the registries of Pune and Delhi.

Considering the serious implications of this scourge, Gajera Global School invited Dr Purvi Patel, Consultant Obstetrician and gynecologist to conduct a webinar for our educators and parents. In the webinar, she showed the attendees how to spot the onset of the disease early, as early detection is the best way to prevent it. One of the preventions could be removal of the ovaries altogether. Talking about prevention, she referred to Angelina Jolie’s preventive mastectomy in May 2013. She also educated the attendees about the ways to manage it as the treatment can be quite traumatic, with the loss of appetite, hair, nausea and other side effects of chemotherapy. She also discussed how being candid about the disease can help save lives.