The “silent killer” of women might not be making much noise, but a local nonprofit is making sure it’s heard of.
The 12th Annual Teal Ribbon Run/Walk, coordinated by Caring Together, will be held on Sunday, Sept. 15, and kicks off at 9 a.m. at Washington Park in Albany. The event aims to raise awareness of ovarian cancer and raise funds to support research to developing an early detection test, along with more effective treatments for women with recurrent ovarian cancer.
Caring Together President Mary Davis said education awareness is the “best line of defense” against ovarian cancer. Davis is also a survivor of ovarian cancer after being diagnosed 15 years ago.
“If you don’t know much about the disease it is an opportunity to learn and there is an awareness table there staffed by survivors. It is chance to talk to somebody that is well versed in it,” Davis said. “It is a chance to talk a walk in a beautiful park, or if you are a runner it is a sanctioned 5K.”
Race Director Pam Robbins said there is no effective screening tool for ovarian cancer, which leads it to be among the most deadly cancers.
“We are really focused on the fact there is no screening tool … so they need more research dollars,” Robbins said. “What we do with our money from the Walk/Run is we donate that almost exclusively to a couple of large research grant organizations.”
Caring Together also partnered with St. Peter’s Hospital Foundation, Albany Medical Center Foundation and CR Wood Cancer Center at Glens Falls Hospital to provide financial assistance to Capital District women that are either uninsured or underinsured and have a high risk for ovarian cancer, or have symptoms of it.
The group is also in talks to expand the program to other area hospitals. Women must qualify for the program by meeting income and resource requirements.
Over the years, participation has grown from a small group of people to around 1,100, according to Robbins. The group is hoping to surpass a total of $1 million raised from the event over the years, a goal that is in reach this year.
“There are many, many people who come back year after year and are committed to this cause,” Robbins said. The number of survivors and families that are involved in this has turned it from where there was a couple hundred to over a thousand.”
Robbins said many of the possible symptoms of ovarian cancer tend to get overlooked, which is exactly what happened to Davis.
“I blew it off for a while,” Davis said. “I had felt so lousy for a couple of years and couldn’t figure out why so my initial response (to being diagnosed) was, ‘Wow, where do I go from here?’”
The most common symptoms include bloating, pelvic or abdominal pain, difficulty eating or feeling full quickly and urinary symptoms of urgency or frequency. The key, though, is if any of these symptoms last for more than two weeks.
The American Cancer Society estimates this year there will be around 22,240 newly diagnosed cases of ovarian cancer and more than 14,000 women nationally will die of ovarian cancer. Ovarian cancer is the tenth most common cancer among women, but it is the fifth leading cause of cancer related death for women, according to the Ovarian Cancer National Alliance.
The Alliance claims mortality rates for ovarian cancer have not improved over the past 40 years. It accounts for 3 percent of cancer diagnoses in women.
The five-year survival rate is 44 percent, but early detection increases that to 91.5 percent. Only around 15 percent of women are diagnosed early. The majority of women aren’t diagnosed until the cancer has spread to distant organs or lymph nodes, which brings the five-year survival rate to around 25 percent.
From 2005 to 2009, the median age of ovarian cancer diagnoses was 63, according to OCNA. The four most prominent age categories of all diagnoses include 45 to 54 (19 percent), 55 to 64 (23 percent), 65 to 74 (20 percent) and 75 and 84 (18 percent).
Davis said putting a face on the disease through the race is important.
Caring Together was first formed in 1996 solely as a support group for ovarian cancer by nurse practitioner Debbie Cullinan, who helped organize it after being diagnosed. Cullinan died from her cancer, but the group has continued and expanded its cause and mission.
“My favorite part is just seeing all the survivors there and they remind me why I am doing it,” Robbins said. “It makes me think of Debbie and reminds why I got involved.”
For information on Caring Together and to register for the Teal Ribbon Run/Walk, visit the group’s website at www.caringtogetherny.org.