A project began today at the UW–Madison Prevention Research Center that is focused on earlier detection of ovarian cancer.

Of the five types of gynecologic cancers, which are cancers of the woman’s reproductive systems, ovarian cancer continues to cause more deaths in the United States every year, according to Dr. Ellen Hartenbach, a gynecologic oncologist at the UW Carbone Cancer Center and chair of the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at the UW School of Medicine and Public Health.

“This is partly because it’s hard to diagnose,” she said. “Symptoms can be generic like feeling full or bloated, pelvic or back pain, or issues with urination, and these are symptoms of many other medical conditions, so it is not often caught as early as it needs to be for the best outcomes.”

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