Rural women in Southland face significant barriers to timely diagnosis and treatment of ovarian cancer, a University of Auckland researcher says, with South Island patients travelling to Christchurch for surgery and often multiple rounds of chemotherapy.
Dr Alicia Didsbury, a research fellow in molecular medicine and pathology who has served on the board of the Ovarian Cancer Foundation of New Zealand for five years, told the Otago Daily Times that rural patients had to navigate complex healthcare pathways while managing "financial and logistical burdens".
Nationally there were 306 ovarian cancer cases in the past year, and almost half were diagnosed in emergency departments or through unplanned hospital admissions, according to the figures reported. Mortality roughly doubled in the year following an emergency diagnosis.
In the Southern health district, which covers Southland and Otago, there were 105 ovarian cancer registrations between 2019 and 2023, and 8.4 new registrations per 100,000 females in 2023.
The usual pathway starts with a pelvic examination in primary care, followed by a CA-125 blood test and an ultrasound. Standard treatment is platinum-based chemotherapy and surgery, and for South Island patients that surgery is in Christchurch.
Dr Didsbury said that if the cancer could not be fully removed or did not respond to chemotherapy, few options remained. "Life-extending treatments are pretty light on the ground for ovarian cancer," she said.
Rory Miller, director of the University of Otago's Centre for Rural Health, said rural communities had worse health outcomes than city residents but lower use of secondary healthcare, and rural health was "on the back foot".
Ovarian Cancer Foundation chief executive Liz Pennington said late diagnosis and the lack of a screening tool were the biggest challenges, and the foundation was "intentional" about reaching rural communities. She said research funding could "literally save lives".
Common symptoms include bloating, loss of appetite, abdominal, pelvic or back pain, changes in urinary or bowel habits and fatigue. Ms Pennington's advice is to see a doctor if symptoms persist for more than a month.
In Gore, Soroptimist International has been backing the foundation's Heal the Teal campaign. President Anne Gover said the club had placed ovarian cancer information tea towels in four Gore businesses this month: Collective Design, The Merino Story, Apt Collections and Caroline Eve. Soroptimist clubs across New Zealand have raised more than $25,000 for the cause since May 2022.
The comments come as Southland's wider health services remain under pressure. Health New Zealand spent more than $23 million sending southern patients to private hospitals last year while Southland Hospital had hundreds of unused theatre sessions because of staffing shortages, the Otago Daily Times reported this week, and the region's urology service has been the subject of warnings about possible collapse.
The foundation's State of Ovarian Cancer Report Aotearoa New Zealand, released in February, sets out the case for better rural access and a national awareness drive. October's Frocktober campaign, which raises money for ovarian cancer research, finishes at the end of the month.
