There is a particular cruelty about ovarian cancer. It does not announce itself loudly; instead, it murmurs softly with a bit of bloating here, some lower back pain there, a persistent sense that something is not quite right but nothing dramatic enough to cause alarm. And by the time most women receive a diagnosis, the disease has often made itself very much at home.

Every year on May 8, the world marks World Ovarian Cancer Day, an occasion that has grown since its launch in 2013 into a global movement. This year’s theme – ‘No Woman Left Behind’ – carries particular weight because, the uncomfortable truth is that far too many women are being left behind by late diagnosis, underfunded research and healthcare systems that have historically paid less attention to this disease than it deserves.

The numbers

Roughly 2,50,000 women are diagnosed with ovarian cancer every year across the world. An estimated 1,40,000 will die from it. It is, by some measures, the deadliest of all gynaecological cancers and yet, it receives a fraction of the public attention given to breast cancer.

The comparison is worth dwelling on. Approximately 89% of breast cancer patients survive beyond five years. For ovarian cancer, that figure drops to around 45% – nearly half. And the primary reason for that stark difference is not that ovarian cancer is inherently untreatable, but that it is almost never caught in its early stages.

When diagnosed at Stage I before the cancer has spread beyond the ovaries, survival rates climb dramatically, with some studies suggesting above 90%. The problem is that less than a quarter of cases are caught that early. The rest are diagnosed at Stage III or Stage IV, when the cancer has already spread to the abdomen, lymph nodes, or beyond.

Why does it get missed?

Ask most people to name the symptoms of ovarian cancer and you will likely be met with a blank look. That in itself is part of the problem. Unlike the distinct lump in breast cancer cases or the irregular bleeding associated with cervical and uterine cancer, ovarian cancer does not produce one clear and recognisable sign. What it does produce are symptoms that most of us would simply dismiss – persistent bloating, feeling full quickly when eating, pelvic or lower abdominal pain, an urge to urinate more frequently or urgently, unexplained fatigue, and a change in bowel habits.

Each of those individually could be attributed to several other conditions including irritable bowel syndrome, gut infections, stress, dietary changes and even getting older. That is precisely what makes this disease so dangerous. Women dismiss these symptoms. Sometimes doctors do too.

This is not about blame; it is about recognition. The medical community has made genuine progress in understanding ovarian cancer, but there simply isn’t any reliable early-screening test available that is similar to a mammogram for breast cancer or a smear test for cervical cancer. Hence, genuine and widespread public awareness becomes the closest thing to building a first line of defence.

Building access

The 2026 theme is not merely a slogan. It is a confrontation of the reality that often, a woman’s place of residence, country or economic circumstances determines whether or not she lives, and it is a call to change that reality.

In higher-income countries access to surgery and chemotherapy, whilst still imperfect, is broadly available. Newer treatments are beginning to extend survival times for women with advanced disease. Research into biomarkers is advancing, offering hope for earlier detection in the future.

But in lower-income countries, the picture is vastly different. Women are often diagnosed later, treated less effectively, and supported less comprehensively. The global survival gap for ovarian cancer is not simply a medical problem, it is more a problem of justice.

‘No Woman Left Behind’ asks us to hold that in mind. Progress that only reaches the privileged is not progress enough.

What women can do

The absence of a reliable screening test makes personal awareness all the more essential. There are several things every woman can do throughout the year:

Know your body – That phrase risks sounding hollow, but it carries real weight here. If you notice symptoms – particularly if they are new, persistent, and happening more than 12 times a month – do not dismiss them. Note them down and take them seriously.

Know your family history – Ovarian cancer has a significant genetic component. Mutations in the BRCA1 and BRCA2 genes substantially increase a woman’s lifetime risk. If you have a family history of ovarian or breast cancer, speak to your GP about whether genetic testing might be appropriate for you. Knowledge is not a cause for panic; it is a basis for informed decisions.

Advocate for yourself – This is perhaps the hardest one to say and the most important. Women have historically been more likely to have their symptoms dismissed or attributed to anxiety, hormones, or stress. If something does not feel right, go back, ask again. Push for a referral. You are entitled to be taken seriously.

Talk about it – The single most powerful thing any of us can do is have conversations — with friends, with family members, in offices and community spaces. The more ovarian cancer is spoken about, the more women will recognize its symptoms. And the more symptoms are recognised early, the more lives can be saved.

Collective action

Since 2013, World Ovarian Cancer Day has grown into a movement that now spans more than 80% of the world’s countries and is supported by over 200 organisations globally. This is proof that sustained, collective attention can shift awareness, influence policy, and ultimately change outcomes.

But awareness days only work if they spark something beyond the day itself. The teal ribbons and social media posts matter, not because they are gestures, but because every gesture has the potential to reach someone who needs to hear it, someone whose bloating has been going on for two months, someone whose mother was diagnosed with breast cancer and who has never thought to ask whether their own risk might be elevated. Someone who simply did not know.

Therefore, let us spread aware this day by realising that equality is not in regarding different things similarly, but is in regarding different things differently and still leaving no one behind.

(Rohit Raghunath Ranade is senior consultant, clinical lead – gynaecologic oncology, Narayana Health City, Bengaluru. rohitraghunath.ranade.dr@narayanahealth.org)