Blackpool MP’s call for end to cancer postcode lottery

Blackpool South MP Gordon Marsden is a member of the All-Party Ovarian Cancer group in Parliament and is backing a campaign launched by national charity Target Ovarian Cancer, after a report highlighted regional differences between the disease’s survival rates, awareness of it and participation in clinical trails.

The charity’s Jane Asher Gordon said: “I know from my own personal experience where early diagnosis saved my mother’s life, and families in Blackpool affected by this deadly disease, how crucial spotting and treating ovarian cancer early can be.”

Mr Marsden added: “More needs to be done to ensure all women with ovarian cancer get the support and care they need, regardless of where they live.

“Women with the disease should be able to access the best standards, no matter where they live. I will be raising these issues with GP and NHS stakeholders in Blackpool.”

Annwen Jones, chief executive of Target Ovarian Cancer, said: “This is why we’ve launched this report today and are calling on all MPs to make sure women with ovarian cancer are getting access to the best treatment and care possible.

“The most important thing is that women know what to look out for.

“That is why we need a national awareness campaign so every woman knows the key symptoms which are: having a bloated tummy, or stomach pains, needing to wee more often/urgently and always feeling full.”

See www.targetovariancancer.org.uk.