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Saturday, February 22, 2020
A devastating disease T
oday, four women will be diagnosed with ovarian cancer. It’s a devastating experience, and here’s why: • The symptoms of ovarian cancer are so vague. For many women, the only signs are cramps, bloating, feeling full or needing to urinate more often – all symptoms which mimic common female complaints. • Approximately 70 per cent of women diagnosed will discover that their ovarian cancer is in the advanced stages, and only 25 per cent of these women will survive beyond five years. • Many women will have entered hospital to undergo exploratory surgery, but most will wake to find they have undergone a complete hysterectomy. • This invasive surgery is currently the only way of detecting and accurately diagnosing ovarian cancer. • Instead of then being allowed to simply rest and recover from major surgery, they then undergo intense chemotherapy, without a clear understanding of whether this approach is suitable or effective for their specific cancer strain. • Many women discover that even if their treatment succeeds in getting rid of their cancer, there’s a 90 per cent chance that it will come back within 18 months, at which point it will likely be terminal. It is a bleak and depressing picture of the reality of ovarian cancer – a picture that hasn’t shifted in 30 years but needs to change urgently.
These statistics scratch the surface of why innovative research is so urgently needed – to find an early detection test and also discover better, more effective treatments that will help women survive their diagnosis long-term.
STAGES Ovarian cancer can be classified into four stages, depending on the extent of spread of the disease. Staging requires an operation to obtain tissue samples, which are then examined under a microscope. Stage 1: Cancer is limited to the ovaries only. Stage 2: One or both ovaries are affected, as well as other pelvic tissues. Stage 3: One or both ovaries are affect-
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ed. The cancer is also in the abdominal cavity outside of the pelvis, or there is cancer in pelvic lymph nodes, around the aorta, or in the groin. Stage 4: One or both ovaries are affected, with spread to distant organs such as the liver or lung. There is no screening or early detection test available for ovarian cancer. Ovarian cancer is usually detected by a combination of several tests and examinations. The final diagnosis always requires the pathological analysis of a tissue sample.
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22 Ashburton Guardian
Saturday, February 22, 2020 22 Ashburton Guardian
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Saturday, February 22, 2020
Sarah’s doing her bit for A
young up-and-coming Mid Canterbury harness racing driver is doing her bit to spread the word about ovarian cancer while making a significant contribution to a nationwide fundraising effort. Rakaia-based horsewoman Sarah O’Reilly is a part of a New Zealand’s Team Teal Campaign which is run by harness racing’s governing body, Harness Racing New Zealand. The idea was originally born in Australia, by high-profile industry participant, Duncan McPherson from Victoria who lost his wife to ovarian cancer and decided to continue her fight to raise awareness and funds for research into the deadly disease. For six weeks, from the start of February through until near to the middle of March, female drivers across both Australia and New Zealand swap their traditional white driving pants with a teal variety, with each win achieved raising funds for the foundation. In New Zealand, a win equates to a $400 donation with Harness Racing New Zealand contributing $200 for each victory, the host club at the meeting where the race was won donating $100 and prominent breeding enterprise, Woodlands Stud, also donating $100. Last year their efforts raised $35,000 for the foundation through driving wins from female drivers, as well as donations made on course at meetings across New Zealand and various other fundraising events. Harness Racing New Zealand has set the lofty goal of achieving $40,000 in 2020 and just over half-way through the campaign, there’s close to $22,000 in the coffers
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meaning they’re well on target. And O’Reilly is part of a group of female drivers who are leading the charge in terms of donations made with six wins so far during the period at close to the halfway point equating to her being responsible for $2400 of the donations. She’s been in red hot form in the sulky, not just during the past few weeks for the fundraising efforts, but over the course
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of the past 12 months which has seen her crowned as the winner of both the New Zealand Junior Drivers Championship and also champion of the Australasian Young Drivers Championship. The daughter of well-known horseman Gerard and a part of the wider O’Reilly family from Mid Canterbury who have been a part of the harness racing furniture in New Zealand for decades, Sarah is pav-
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ing her own path in the game and setting a tempo which should place her in good stead for a long and prosperous career. “I’ve been really lucky,” she said. “I’ve had some great luck and some great support along the way to get me to this point and I hope it continues. “Being a part of Team Teal is really special too, being able to contribute to such a fantastic cause is great and I hope I can
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Saturday, February 22, 2020
Saturday, February 22, 2020 23 Ashburton Guardian
Ashburton Guardian 23
ovarian cancer
PREVENTION
A
Above – Sarah O’Reilly, driving number 16, at Methven earlier this month. Left – Sarah with her father, Gerard, and mum, Jane.
drive a fair few more winners before the campaign ends.” The campaign officially closes on March 10, with a final bonanza day at the Reefton Trotting Club meeting, but O’Reilly will be hoping she can add a little more to the
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kitty today at a local meeting at the Ashburton Raceway. She has three really strong chances, including driving Look Sharp in Race 6 for her dad Gerard and then Lilac Star in Race 9.
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Then she rounds out her day with the talented Copperfield in Race 10. And at her current win-rate, you’d be a brave person to bet against the rapid-riser not throwing some more money into the pot for a really good cause.
Chris
lthough there is no proven way to prevent these diseases completely, you may be able to lower your risk. Talk with your health care team for more information about your personal risk of cancer. Research has shown that certain factors may reduce a woman’s risk of developing ovarian/fallopian tube cancer: • Taking birth control pills. Women who took oral contraceptives for three or more years are 30-50 per cent less likely to develop ovarian/fallopian tube cancer. • Breastfeeding. The longer a woman breastfeeds, the lower her risk of developing ovarian/fallopian tube cancer. • Pregnancy. The more full-term pregnancies a woman has had, the lower her risk of ovarian/fallopian tube cancer. • Surgical procedures. Women who have had a hysterectomy or a tubal ligation may have a lower risk of developing ovarian/fallopian tube cancer. Doctors recommend a bilateral salpingo-oophorectomy, which is the removal of both ovaries and fallopian tubes, for women with a high risk of ovarian/fallopian tube cancer. For women with high-risk genetic mutations such as BRCA1, BRCA2, and the genes related to Lynch syndrome, having the ovaries and fallopian tubes removed after having children is recommended to prevent ovarian/fallopian tube cancers as well as possibly reduce the risk of breast cancer.
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