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The National Ovarian Cancer Coalition (NOCC) Lauds Congress on Passage of Life-Saving Law to Educate Women and Raise Awareness of Deadly Gynecologic Cancers

Posted on: Monday, 11 December 2006, 15:00 CST

SAN FRANCISCO, Calif., Dec. 11 /PRNewswire/ -- Congress has granted final and unanimous approval for a life-saving piece of legislation that will fund awareness and education programs about the warning signs and risk factors of deadly gynecologic cancers, including ovarian cancer. The landmark bill, known as "Johanna's Law: The Gynecological Cancer Education and Awareness Act," creates a federal campaign designed to improve early detection and increase survival.

According to a recent National Ovarian Cancer Coalition (NOCC) survey, only 15 percent of women are familiar with the symptoms of ovarian cancer, and 82 percent have never talked to their doctors about the symptoms and risk factors.

"Given the pervasive lack of knowledge and the fact that ovarian cancer still needs a screening test, awareness and education are essential to early detection and saving lives," said Jane Langridge, chief executive officer of NOCC. "On behalf of NOCC, I applaud Congress and the many ovarian cancer survivors who worked tirelessly on the passage of this law. This marks a historic occasion toward empowering women with information to prevent thousands of unnecessary deaths each year."

This year, more than 80,000 women will be diagnosed with a gynecologic cancer, and more than 28,000 women will die from these diseases. If caught in the early stages, the five-year survival rate for women with ovarian cancer is 90 percent. Unfortunately, ovarian cancer is one of the most difficult cancers to diagnose because symptoms are sometimes subtle and often mimic more prevalent digestive and gastrointestinal disorders. As a result, most women are still diagnosed in the advanced stages, when the five-year survival plummets to around 25 percent.

"Johanna's Law" is named for Johanna Silver Gordon, a retired schoolteacher who was diligent about her healthy lifestyle and regular visits to the gynecologist but, like most women, was unaware of the signs of ovarian cancer, including heartburn, abdominal bloating and constipation. By the time Johanna was diagnosed, she already had advanced stage disease and, after a three-and-a-half year battle, died in 2000 at the age of 58.

Sheryl Silver, Johanna's sister, who originated and was the driving force behind Johanna's Law, states, "It means so much to our family that Johanna's Law has finally passed -- at least now, we're assured Johanna did not suffer or die in vain. In truth, passing Johanna's Law means a great deal to many people, especially the cancer survivors, family members, and women nationwide who joined forces with physicians and nurses to pass this critical legislation. All of us were determined to pass Johanna's Law and spare other women and their families the same suffering and grief our families and friends had needlessly endured."

"Johanna's Law" was introduced in the Senate by Arlen Specter (R-PA) as bill S.1172 and sponsored in the House of Representatives by Darrell Issa (R- CA) as H.R. 1245. Both the House of Representatives and the Senate passed the bill with unanimous votes. Johanna's Law now will be sent to President George W. Bush for his signature.

"Every inch of progress we make fighting these deadly diseases gets us closer to a cure. Johanna's Law recognizes something critical -- that until we have accurate screening methods, public education is one of the most important weapons we have toward beating gynecologic cancers like ovarian, cervical and uterine cancer," said Congresswoman Rosa DeLauro, a 20-year survivor of ovarian cancer and original cosponsor of the bill. "In creating a federal campaign to educate women and health care providers alike, as this legislation does, we can take a bold step toward ensuring women know which symptoms to look for and how to seek help before it is too late. I am delighted that this legislation has passed Congress and will soon become law."

About Johanna's Law

Johanna's law will authorize a national public awareness campaign directed at women and their providers to promote early detection of gynecologic cancer and raise awareness about these devastating diseases. Specifically, Johanna's Law gives the Secretary of Health and Human Services explicit authority to carry out a national campaign to increase the awareness and knowledge of women with respect to gynecological cancers, which includes:

-- maintaining a supply of written materials to provide information to the public on gynecological cancers; and -- developing and placing public service announcements to encourage women to discuss their risks of gynecological cancers with their physicians. Ovarian Cancer Symptoms and Risk Factors

The symptoms of ovarian cancer are subtle and hard to pinpoint because they often mimic more prevalent digestive and gastrointestinal disorders. Common symptoms include persistent swelling, bloating, pressure or pain in the abdomen, gastrointestinal upset and/or frequent urination in the absence of an infection. Typically, two or more symptoms occur simultaneously and increase in severity over time.

"Women experiencing at least two to three common ovarian cancer symptoms persisting for two or more weeks should visit a gynecologist and ask for a rectovaginal exam, transvaginal ultrasound and CA-125 blood test," said Langridge. "Because a family history of breast, colon and/or ovarian cancer increases the risk of the disease, women should monitor for symptoms and consider visiting a gynecologic oncologist for regular screenings."

About NOCC

Since its inception in 1995, the National Ovarian Cancer Coalition (NOCC) has been committed to raising awareness of ovarian cancer in communities across the country through education and support. As the first and only national ovarian cancer organization with a network of more than 80 Chapters throughout the United States, NOCC has established itself as the leading advocate for patients and families struggling with ovarian cancer. Committed volunteers work together to advance NOCC's mission through a toll-free Help Line, comprehensive web site, peer support, professional education, research promotion, publications and Break the Silence, a national education program to facilitate greater awareness and dialogue about ovarian cancer. For more information about the National Ovarian Cancer Coalition, visit http://www.ovarian.org/ or call 1-888-OVARIAN.

National Ovarian Cancer Coalition

CONTACT: Tracy Naden of WeissComm Partners, +1-212-301-7206, ortnaden@weisscommpartners.com

Web site: http://www.ovarian.org/

Source: PRNewswire

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