289 Awareness of ovarian cancer symptoms in general population

Objectives Ovarian cancer accounts for 3% of all female cancers and has a high mortality rate among gynecological malignancies. Early diagnosis carries a high survival rate of 93%. So, this study was carried out to assess the knowledge and awareness of Jordanian women about ovarian cancer symptoms and risk factors. Methods A cross-sectional survey design was used. Women randomly selected to complete the survey, 896 women completed the survey. Results The mean of total symptoms recognized was low at level of 3.2(SD=2.7) out of 10. The three highest known symptoms among women were as follows: extreme fatigue (43.2%), back pain (42.4%), and persistent pain in pelvic area (40.7%). The most commonly known risk factor was smoking (68.4%), followed by having ovarian cyst(s) (59.7%). Conclusions Poor awareness of ovarian cancer risk factors and symptoms were noticed. Awareness need to be raised through education and social media. The absence of an effective screening program, a national awareness campaign is urgently needed to improve the public’s understanding of symptoms and risk factors and increasing women’s confidence in symptom recognition.