2012 NICE publishes new ovarian cancer quality standard (UK OC incidence 6,500 deaths 4,500)

NICE publishes new ovarian cancer quality standard

The new quality standard is available on the NICE website from 00:01 hrs on Wednesday 23 May at: http://www.nice.org.uk/aboutnice/qualitystandards/qualitystandards.jsp


NICE has today (23 May) published a new quality standard for ovarian cancer, which states that an integrated approach to the diagnosis and management of the disease is fundamental to the delivery of high quality care to women.

Every year in the UK, there are around 6,500 women diagnosed with ovarian cancer, and about 4,400 deaths from the disease. It is more common in women over the age of 50ⁱ. Some of the symptoms of ovarian cancer are similar to those seen in more common conditions, like irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) so it can be hard to diagnose. Other symptoms include:

• Persistent pelvic or abdominal pain
• Increased abdominal size/persistent bloating
• Difficulty eating or feeling full quickly
• Needing to pass urine more urgently or more often than usual

The new quality standard for ovarian cancer consists of eight quality statements that describe high-quality, cost-effective care that should contribute to improving the effectiveness, safety and experience of care for women with ovarian cancer. The standard states that women aged 50 years or over reporting one or more symptoms occurring persistently or frequently suggesting ovarian cancer should be offered a CA125 testⁱⁱ. It also states that women with raised CA125 should have an ultrasound of their abdomen and pelvis within 2 weeks of receiving the CA125 test results. Women with a mass, growth or lump next to their uterus, which usually arises from the ovary or fallopian tube, (called an adnexal mass), and found by ultrasound should be offered magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to help determine if the lesion is benign or malignant.

Dr Gillian Leng, Deputy Chief Executive and Director of Health and Social Care at NICE said: "We know that the poor survival rates of ovarian cancer may be linked to late diagnosis, which is often because of a lack of awareness of the early symptoms, which include abdominal bloating or pain and difficulty eating. The disease is more prevalent in women over 50, who often mistake its symptoms for the menopause. Therefore, it is important that there are clear, measureable standards that can help drive improvements in the diagnosis, care and treatment of this disease. Quality standards also help to achieve the goals set out in the NHS Outcomes Frameworkⁱⁱⁱ, as well as informing new Quality and Outcomes Framework (QOF)^iv indicators."

The new quality standard is available on the NICE website from 00:01 hrs on Wednesday 23 May at: http://www.nice.org.uk/aboutnice/qualitystandards/qualitystandards.jsp