Every day in Australia, 18 women are diagnosed with gynaecological cancer. Six will not survive. Together, we can change that.

With awareness, early detection and more research funding – we can save lives – just as we have seen with breast cancer, where survival rates now exceed 90%.

September is Gynaecological Cancer Awareness Month

At Cherish Women’s Cancer Foundation, we are asking you to join us. Together, we can:

• Learn the signs and symptoms of gynaecological cancer
• Share these facts with the women in our lives
• Support research that will add years to her life and life to her years.

The silent cancers
Gynaecological cancers (ovarian, endometrial, cervical, vaginal and vulvar) are the third most common cancer diagnosed in Australian women. Every year, over 7,000 Australian women are diagnosed with gynaecological cancer, and this number increases each year. Almost one-third will not survive their disease.

Unlike other cancers, gynaecological cancers are shrouded in silence. Stigma and societal taboos can lead to delays in diagnosis and treatment. Too many women feel embarrassed to talk about their symptoms, and too many women are diagnosed too late.

Why awareness matters
Every day, six women lose their lives to this disease. Yet, Australian Government funding for its research has been cut in half since 2008 – from $14 million to just $7 million, even as diagnoses rise. Without urgent action, more women will die.

Early detection is vital. Gynaecological cancers can be difficult to detect. Knowing your body and knowing what’s not normal can save your life.  

Learn the signs and symptoms
If you are concerned about any of the following symptoms, please see your doctor immediately. 

• Abnormal or persistent vaginal bleeding – for example, bleeding after menopause
• Bleeding that is not part of menstrual periods, or bleeding after sex
• Unusual vaginal discharge
• Pain, pressure or discomfort in the pelvis or abdomen
• Unexplained weight loss
• Swelling of the abdomen
• Change in bowel or bladder habits
• Itching, burning or soreness in the pelvic region
• Lumps, sores or wart-like growths on the skin of the genital areas

Cervical cancer is the most preventable gynaecological cancer, thanks to the national screening program. But other cancers (ovarian, endometrial and vulvar cancer) are not picked up by routine checks. Often, they remain undetected until they have spread, making them more challenging to treat.

Download the signs and symptoms flyer.

Funding research that saves lives

The only way to prevent more deaths from gynaecological cancer is to fund research that improves how we prevent, detect and treat this disease.

Cherish Challenge
This year, our fundraising adventure, the Cherish Challenge, takes us to Bhutan. Our dedicated team will trek to raise funds for a future where a cancer diagnosis is a concern, but not a death sentence. Where women don’t just survive, they thrive. Please support the team if you can.

Partnering with QCGC Research

Cherish’s major research partner, Queensland Centre for Gynaecological Cancer Research, runs some of the world’s most innovative trials. Cherish funding gives their researchers the boost they need to start small but critical studies with the potential to change the way doctors treat women with gynaecological cancer worldwide.  

feMMe trials

Even with laparoscopic surgery for endometrial cancer, larger women were not faring well. This discovery led to the feMMe trial. Cherish funded QCGC Research’s first post-doctoral researcher, Dr Eva Baxter, to work on this vital research.

feMMe aims to treat women with endometrial cancer less invasively using the Mirena, an intra-uterine device (IUD), and an anti-diabetes drug, Metformin. The research team recruited 165 women for the trial, with the last patient enrolled in April 2020, and will follow the women’s progress for seven years.

Building on feMMe’s initial success, QCGC Research, with Cherish as a financial partner, secured a National Health and Medical Research Council grant to fund two subsequent projects – feMMe Molecular and the development of a personalised decision-making tool. Read more.

ENDO3

In endometrial cancer treatment, surgeons often remove a woman’s lymph nodes during a hysterectomy, although no randomised clinical trial has proved this approach improves survival.

ENDO-3 is testing whether this surgery does more harm than good.  

Cherish has given more than $137,000 to this vital research, helping the team to secure Australian Government funding to expand the trial.  Read more.

Pre-ANVU and NODE

Vulvar cancer is a rare—but its treatment is brutal, and its research is underfunded.

Cherish has supported two small studies, Pre-ANVU and NODE, where the QCGC Research team is exploring the feasibility of using high-resolution groin ultrasound monitoring to replace lymph node surgery, potentially saving women from invasive surgery.

These initial studies will feed into the Australian National Vulvar Cancer (ANVU) study – a world-first, Phase 2 randomised clinical trial that aims to improve outcomes and quality of life for women with vulvar cancer.  Read more.  

Cherish every woman

You can help us improve the outcomes for all women, those with gynaecological cancer now and those who may develop it in the future. Please:

• Learn the signs 
• Share the facts
• Support research 
• Cherish every woman.

If you would like to order symptom checker cards to hand out to your friends, have available at your next function or at your workplace, fill in your details below and we will be in touch.

If you would like to ask a question about fundraising or give us some feedback, please contact us via the form and let’s chat.

Alternatively, please contact Pauline Dell, Marketing & Fundraising Executive on 0488 333 723 or email pauline@cherish.org.au

You can also direct message us on Facebook, Instagram or Twitter.

If you need professional, confidential support about a gynaecological cancer diagnosis or treatment, please call Cancer Council’s free service on 13 11 20.

Cherish Women’s Cancer Foundation | Registered as Gynaecological Cancer Foundation Ltd | ABN 86 158 553 229