LIVE LIFE BETTER Ovarian Cancer Awareness Month with Kerry Kriseman 9/12/2024

In this episode of LIVE LIFE BETTER, news director and host Nanette Wiser interviews Kerry Kriseman, author and ovarian cancer advocate. On Thursday, 9/12 the city issued a proclamation (scroll down to read). Seen here in the photo, left to right:  Topher Larking, Community Outreach, Moffit Cancer Center, Celma Mastry, Celma Mastry Ovarian Cancer Foundation, Copley Gerdes, Vice Chair, St. Petersburg City Council, Kerry Kriseman, survivor and advocate with Ovarian Cancer Research Alliance, and Deborah Figgs-Sanders, Chair, St. Petersburg City Council.

Kerry shared some fascinating information about ovarian cancer, it's detection and incidence. " Ovarian cancer is the deadliest of all gynecological cancers. Ovarian cancer "whispers," meaning that the warning signs, if any, are often subtle and can be mistaken for other conditions. Symptoms can also be misdiagnosed by health care practitioners, which often leads to a later diagnosis. Ovarian cancer is not an "old woman's disease," as previously thought. Anyone with ovaries at any age can get ovarian cancer."

We also learned that In the absence of a definitive diagnostic test, people with ovaries who suspect they may be more susceptible to ovarian cancer are urged to undergo genetic testing, and consider an prophylactic salpingectomy, which is removal of the fallopian tubes, since it's believed that ovarian cancer begins in the fallopian tubes. 

9/14 EVENT  The Celma Mastry Ovarian Cancer Foundation One Step Closer to the Cure race returns to St. Pete. The fundraiser features a 5K run/walk and 1-mile run/walk; the race starts and ends at Albert Whitted Park. Help provide financial assistance to ovarian cancer patients, while also supporting research, prevention, and education in the community. Wear your teal to support the cause!

City of St. Petersburg Proclamation Ovarian Cancer Awareness Month

· Whereas ovarian cancer is the fifth leading cause of cancer deaths of women in the
United States and causes more deaths than any other gynecologic cancer;
· Whereas in the United States, a woman’s lifetime risk of being diagnosed with ovarian
cancer is about 1 in 78;

· Whereas the American Cancer Society estimates 19,680 cases of ovarian cancer will be
newly diagnosed in 2024 and 12,740 individuals will die from the disease nationwide,
including 1650 new cases and 1050 deaths in Florida;
· Whereas the five-year survival rate for ovarian cancer is 50 percent and survival rates
vary greatly depending on the stage of diagnosis;

· Whereas there is not currently an effective diagnostic tool for screening and early
detection does not exist;
· Whereas while the mammogram can detect breast cancer and the Pap smear can detect
cervical cancer, there is no reliable early detection test for ovarian cancer;

· Whereas Black women with ovarian cancer are more likely to have late-stage diagnoses,
receive lower quality clinical services, and have lower five-year survival rates than non-
Black women;
· Whereas women of color, low-income women, and women living in rural areas have
more barriers to accessing standard quality of care and are more likely to receive care at a
facility that has poorer adherence to National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN)
treatment guidelines;

· Whereas too many people remain unaware that the symptoms of ovarian cancer often
include bloating, pelvic or abdominal pain, difficulty eating or feeling full quickly,
urinary symptoms, and several other vague symptoms that are often easily confused with
other diseases;

· Whereas improved awareness of the symptoms of ovarian cancer by the pubic and health
care providers can lead to a quicker diagnosis;
· Whereas the lack of an early detection test for ovarian cancer combined with its vague
symptoms mean that approximately 80 percent of cases of ovarian cancer are detected at
an advanced stage;
· Whereas all women are at risk for ovarian cancer, but approximately 20 percent of
women who are diagnosed with ovarian cancer have a hereditary predisposition to
ovarian cancer, which places them at even higher risk;

· Whereas women who know that they are at high risk of ovarian cancer may undertake
prophylactic measures, such as opportunistic salpingectomy, to help reduce the risk of
developing this disease;
· Whereas according to a 2016 consensus report by the National Academy of Medicine,
‘‘there remain surprising gaps in the fundamental knowledge about and understanding of
ovarian cancer” across all aspects of the disease;

· Whereas each year during the month of September, Ovarian Cancer Research Alliance
(OCRA) and Community Partner organizations hold a number of events to increase
public awareness of ovarian cancer and its symptoms;
· and Whereas September should be designated as ‘‘National Ovarian Cancer Awareness
Month’’ to increase public awareness of ovarian cancer: Now, therefore, be it resolved,
that the [state name] [legislative body] supports the goals and ideals of National Ovarian
Cancer Awareness Month.

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