Ovarian cancer affects women around the world and is a devastating diagnosis not only for the woman affected, but also her family and friends. Symptoms are such that both the patient and clinician may mistakenly attribute them to some other cause, leading to a delay in investigation. For this reason, many women are diagnosed late when spread of the cancer has already occurred, leading to poorer prognosis. This article hopes to give general
practice nurses (GPNs) and non-medical prescribers an insight into this disease, so that they will have a high index of suspicion when patients present with non-specific symptoms, leading to earlier diagnosis and hopefully better outcomes.