Macmillan Cancer Support visiting Burnley town centre

March is Ovarian Cancer Awareness Month and more than 7,000 women in the UK are diagnosed with ovarian cancer every year. The team is encouraging anyone with worries relating to cancer to stop by, whether you’re living with cancer, or care for someone who is.

The team will be in Burnley on Friday, March 13th, outside McDonald's in St James's Street from 10am to 5pm.

Anna Murchie, a Macmillan Information and Support Specialist on the unit, said: “Ovarian cancer often causes symptoms that are similar to other more common and less serious conditions so it’s important for women to know the signs and symptoms of the disease.

"The earlier ovarian cancer is found, the more likely it is that treatment will be successful. You are not wasting your doctor’s time by getting your symptoms checked.”

A woman with a family history of ovarian cancer may have a higher risk of developing it herself.

A GP should offer cancer tests to any woman who has any of the following symptoms for no reason or who gets these symptoms regularly (especially if it’s more than 12 times a month):

• a long-lasting bloated or swollen tummy;

• feeling full quickly when you eat or loss of appetite;

• pain in the lower tummy area or back;

• passing urine more often than usual or more urgently (feeling like you can’t hold on).

Anna added: “Having these symptoms doesn’t mean you have ovarian cancer, but it is important to get them checked out. You can stop by and chat to the team on the bus if you are worried.”

For further information about Macmillan’s mobile information service, and planned visits, go to www.macmillan.org.uk/mobileinfo

If you are unable to visit the unit but have questions about cancer, visit www.macmillan.org.uk or call Macmillan free on 0808 808 00 00 (7 days a week, 8am to 8pm).