Do I Qualify? | Prevent Ovarian Cancer - free - apply online - Ontario, Canada

Do I Qualify? 

You may qualify to participate in the Prevent Ovarian Cancer Program if you meet all the following criteria:

1. Are an Ontario resident
2. Are a female at least 18 years of age
3. Have a deceased first-degree relative (mother, sister or daughter) previously diagnosed with ovarian cancer

You will not qualify if:

1. You do not meet all 3 criteria listed above
2. Someone in your family was previously tested and identified as having a BRCA1 or BRCA2 mutation
3. You were previously tested and identified as having a BRCA1 or BRCA2 mutation yourself

If you think that you qualify based on these criteria, click What is the Process? to learn more.
Click Get Started to create your POCP username.

What Is Our Goal?

The Prevent Ovarian Cancer Program (POCP) is an initiative that aims to identify women at high risk for ovarian cancer and offer them the opportunity to reduce that risk.

Up to 20% of ovarian cancers are passed down through family members. This means that women with a family history of ovarian cancer may be at increased risk of developing the disease themselves. If we know that a woman is at high risk for developing ovarian cancer, there are steps she can take to prevent the cancer from developing in the first place. Our mission is to find these women by testing for gene changes (also known as mutations) that may otherwise not be discovered under current Ontario Ministry of Health genetic testing guidelines.

You can participate in the POCP from home. This means you will not have to come to the Princess Margret Cancer Centre in Toronto to be part of this program. If you need additional support or information during the program, we will connect you to resources in your community.

Through this program, genetic counselling and genetic testing will be available to 500 women living in Ontario who have a first-degree relative (mother, sister, daughter) with a confirmed diagnosis of a specific type of ovarian cancer called high-grade serous ovarian cancer (or “HGSC” for short), but that do not currently qualify for genetic testing through the Ontario Ministry of Health.

Participation in this program is a multi-step process that is outlined in Do I Qualify? and What is the Process? Your participation will help determine if you have an increased risk for ovarian cancer, and if so, provide you with options for reducing that risk. This life saving information may prevent you, or someone you love, from developing ovarian cancer in the future.