There are five gynaecological cancers: womb, ovarian, cervical, vulval and vaginal. Together, they affect 22,050 women and people with gynae organs each year in the UK.
This Gynaecological Cancer Awareness Month we will be raising awareness of cancer risk factors so that you can get to understand your risk.
Our survey (YouGov) found that nearly 1 in 4 people wrongly believe that all cancers are hereditary. Only 1 in 10 people are aware that womb cancer can carry an inherited increased risk, and only 1 in 5 are aware that ovarian cancer can also carry a hereditary risk.
Cancer cannot be passed down the family or inherited, but you can inherit an increased risk of certain cancers through changes (which can be called alterations or mutations) in genes. There are some known gene alterations that increase the risk of certain cancers, with the most common being BRCA gene alterations which increase your risk of breast and ovarian cancer, among some others, and Lynch syndrome which increases your risk of bowel, womb and ovarian cancer.
More information and advice
We have lots more information on ovarian cancer. You can also contact our Ask Eve nurses for free to chat about any worries or questions.
