Woman urges awareness of ovarian cancer signs
Royal United Hospitals Bath NHS Foundation TrustA woman who was diagnosed with ovarian cancer after having to get up to use the toilet more often at night is calling on others to get symptoms checked.
Christine Grant, from Trowbridge, initially thought she may have cystitis but her GP recommended an ultrasound. The scan showed a mass in her pelvis and the biopsy that followed confirmed she had ovarian cancer.
She began chemotherapy straight away, followed by surgery for a full hysterectomy and is now in remission.
"My message to women is to make sure you get checked as soon as something doesn't feel right. It might be nothing, but it's always better to know and finding a problem early means it's more treatable," Grant said.
The 68-year-old said being told that she had cancer had been "devastating".
"I got the diagnosis in the summer and really thought I might not make it to Christmas," she said.
"Once I met with the consultant at the Royal United Hospitals Bath (RUH) I felt much more positive.
"She was fantastic – she spoke very honestly with me but gave me a lot of hope too."
After her surgery Grant signed up to an immunotherapy treatment research trial at the RUH which involved an infusion every three weeks.
She said: "It has been very tough at times, but I'm in remission now which is just fantastic."
About 7,400 women are diagnosed with ovarian cancer in the UK every year, the RUH NHS Foundation Trust said.
Ovarian cancer mostly affects women over the age of 50 and the main symptoms include a swollen or painful stomach, loss of appetite and an urgent need to urinate.
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