Does the most common gynecological cancer have an awareness blind spot? An Israeli preliminary study.

Abstract

e22540 Background: Our objectives were to assess the awareness of healthy women who present online to endometrial cancer (EC) symptoms and risk factors among the Israeli population. Methods: A survey regarding awareness of EC symptoms and risk factors was published in secure link on popular Israeli feminine social-media groups ( > 20,000 users), for accurate reach. The survey was conducted during May 2023 just before establishing June as Uterine Cancer Awareness Month by IGCS. 1161 healthy women completed the survey voluntarily and anonymously. Results: Thousand-fifty-six women met the survey’s inclusion criteria. About 90% graduated college, all graduated high-school. The respondents were predominantly non-orthodox Jewish. More than quarter had a healthcare background. About two-thirds visit gynecologist at least once a year and about three-quarters had a gynecological examination in the last year. Most respondents were aware of other gynecological cancers, mainly cervical and ovarian cancers. Only about a quarter of the survey population had some awareness of EC symptoms. Nearly half of study population had some idea about signs and symptoms of any gynecological cancer. Regarding EC, more than a quarter were unaware of vaginal bleeding as an EC symptom and about 90% were unaware of any EC risk factors. More than three-quarters were defined as unaware at all. Only about 1% were fully aware. A statistical trend was observed as women older than 45 were more aware than younger. If a symptom occurs, most declared they would visit a gynecologist and only about 8% would refer to their general-practitioner. Conclusions: In our study population, we observed an extremely-low awareness of the most common gynecological cancer in the industrial world (EC) which has easily diagnosed symptoms and risk factors. This striking findings, in a highly-educated and media-exposed group, are a wakeup-call for policymakers and regulators to take further action in order to achieve earlier diagnosis and curative prognosis in EC patients.