Members of Provincial Parliament (MPPs) gathered to hear from Cailey Crawford, Vice President, Programs and Policy, OCC, Dr. Stephanie Lheureux, Gynecology Site Lead and Westaway Chair in Ovarian Cancer Research at Princess Margaret Cancer Centre and Shannon Kadar, Patient Advocate and member of OCCs Prevention Task Force.

The presentation and discussion centred around:

• The critical role prevention plays for those at high risk of ovarian cancer,
• How the Ontario government can optimize the ovarian cancer prevention pathway through disseminating OCCs prevention resources to primary care providers and patients throughout the province and addressing the gaps and barriers that exist in prevention care in Ontario; and
• Investing in patient-informed research across all stages of the ovarian cancer journey – from prevention and early detection to treatment and survivorship.

WHY PREVENTION OF OVARIAN CANCER MATTERS

Survival rates remain low compared to other cancers and have not meaningfully changed in 60 years due to a lack of funding in research. Ovarian cancer symptoms are vague, common and non-specific making detection by both physicians and patients challenging. By ensuring Ontario’s MPPs understand these challenges, we are laying the groundwork for more robust support for ovarian cancer prevention, research, and access to treatments across the province.

Anyone born with ovaries has some risk of ovarian cancer, but with one in five ovarian cancer cases linked to inherited genetic mutations, prior knowledge of a mutation can help individuals determine if they are at high risk of developing the disease and take the appropriate preventative action.

The prevention pathway for those at high risk starts with primary care practitioners and their patients having conversations about family history and other risk factors to determine if they should be referred to genetic testing to determine if they have a genetic mutation that puts them at high risk of developing ovarian cancer. If a patient has a genetic mutation related to ovarian cancer, then the primary care provider should discuss risk-reducing surgery and make the appropriate referrals.

Yet we know that many individuals at high risk are not having these critical conversations with their primary care practitioners, so they are not given the opportunity to prevent ovarian cancer before it starts.

To support primary care practitioners and empower Canadians to have effective conversations about their risk of developing ovarian cancer and understand the pathway to prevention for those at high risk, Ovarian Cancer Canada developed and launched several resources:

• “At-a-glance” Primary Care Practitioner Handout outlining their role in ovarian cancer prevention,
• Primary Care Waiting Room Poster including high-level information for patients about ovarian cancer prevention, encouraging them to speak with their provider to learn more; and
• “Understand your Risk” Digital Tool, a digital, interactive, and personalized tool to support individuals in preparing for appointments with their primary care provider

“As someone who was personally involved in developing these resources, with input from patients and primary care practitioners, I am so proud that we produce tools like this for our community,” says Dr. Alison Ross, Director, Knowledge Mobilization at OCC.