Women's Cancer Research Foundation

07/31/2026

Trusting yourself is a form of strength.

You know what feels normal for you.
You know when something feels different.
You know when a question deserves more than a quick answer.

Listening to your body is not fear.
It is awareness.
It is self-respect.
It is one of the ways you take care of the life you are building.

Ask the question. Schedule the appointment. Follow up when something does not feel right.

𝒀𝒐𝒖𝒓 𝒗𝒐𝒊𝒄𝒆 𝒎𝒂𝒕𝒕𝒆𝒓𝒔 𝒊𝒏 𝒚𝒐𝒖𝒓 𝒉𝒆𝒂𝒍𝒕𝒉𝒄𝒂𝒓𝒆.

07/30/2026

0.6% may not sound like much.

But when we're talking about cancer, even a small increase each year means more women receiving life-changing diagnoses, more families affected, and a greater need for better answers.

Researchers continue to study why uterine cancer rates are rising and how we can improve prevention, detection, and treatment.

Progress begins with understanding the problem, and investing in the research to solve it.

💜 Support women's cancer research and help move us toward a future with fewer diagnoses and better outcomes.

𝘌𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺 𝘢𝘥𝘷𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘦𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘪𝘯 𝘸𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘯'𝘴 𝘤𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘦𝘳 𝘤𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘣𝘦𝘨𝘢𝘯 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘢 𝘲𝘶𝘦𝘴𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘵𝘩 𝘴𝘵𝘶𝘥𝘺𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘱𝘦𝘰𝘱𝘭𝘦 𝘸𝘪𝘭𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘰 𝘴𝘶𝘱𝘱𝘰𝘳𝘵 𝘧𝘪𝘯𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘢𝘯𝘴𝘸𝘦𝘳. 𝘠𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘨𝘦𝘯𝘦𝘳𝘰𝘴𝘪𝘵𝘺 𝘩𝘦𝘭𝘱𝘴 𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘤𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘴 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘶𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘪𝘮𝘱𝘰𝘳𝘵𝘢𝘯𝘵 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘬.

07/29/2026

Ovarian cancer is the second most common gynecologic cancer, but it remains one of the most difficult to detect early.

Unlike cervical cancer, there is no routine screening test for people at average risk. That means understanding the symptoms, and paying attention when something feels different, can make a meaningful difference.

Persistent bloating, pelvic or abdominal pain, feeling full quickly, or changes in urinary habits shouldn't be ignored simply because they seem minor or familiar.

Every conversation that raises awareness and every advancement in research brings us closer to earlier detection, better treatments, and more lives saved.

💙 Knowledge is powerful. Research gives it purpose.

𝘙𝘦𝘴𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘤𝘩 𝘤𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘨𝘦𝘴 𝘸𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘪𝘴 𝘱𝘰𝘴𝘴𝘪𝘣𝘭𝘦 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘸𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘯 𝘥𝘪𝘢𝘨𝘯𝘰𝘴𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘰𝘥𝘢𝘺 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘴𝘦 𝘸𝘩𝘰 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦𝘯'𝘵 𝘺𝘦𝘵 𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘥𝘴 "𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘤𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘦𝘳." 𝘌𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘵𝘳𝘪𝘣𝘶𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘩𝘦𝘭𝘱𝘴 𝘮𝘰𝘷𝘦 𝘥𝘪𝘴𝘤𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘴 𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘸𝘢𝘳𝘥 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘣𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘴 𝘶𝘴 𝘤𝘭𝘰𝘴𝘦𝘳 𝘵𝘰 𝘣𝘦𝘵𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘱𝘳𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯, 𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘭𝘪𝘦𝘳 𝘥𝘦𝘵𝘦𝘤𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘪𝘮𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘥 𝘰𝘶𝘵𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘴. 𝘚𝘶𝘱𝘱𝘰𝘳𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘬 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘮𝘢𝘬𝘦𝘴 𝘵𝘰𝘮𝘰𝘳𝘳𝘰𝘸'𝘴 𝘣𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘬𝘵𝘩𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩𝘴 𝘱𝘰𝘴𝘴𝘪𝘣𝘭𝘦.

07/28/2026

When people think about breast cancer, they often picture it affecting older women.

The reality is more complex.

While breast cancer is still more common with age, diagnoses among younger women have been increasing by approximately 1.1% each year since 2012.

That doesn't mean younger women should live in fear. It does mean they should know their bodies, pay attention to changes, understand their family history, and have informed conversations with their healthcare provider about their personal risk.

Breast cancer doesn't always fit the expectations we have of it. The more we understand it, the better prepared we are to recognize it.

𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘨𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘴 𝘸𝘦 𝘳𝘦𝘭𝘺 𝘰𝘯 𝘵𝘰𝘥𝘢𝘺 𝘦𝘹𝘪𝘴𝘵𝘴 𝘣𝘦𝘤𝘢𝘶𝘴𝘦 𝘴𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘤𝘩𝘰𝘴𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘪𝘯𝘷𝘦𝘴𝘵 𝘪𝘯 𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘤𝘩 𝘺𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘴 𝘢𝘨𝘰. 𝘉𝘺 𝘴𝘶𝘱𝘱𝘰𝘳𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘸𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘯'𝘴 𝘤𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘦𝘳 𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘤𝘩, 𝘺𝘰𝘶'𝘳𝘦 𝘩𝘦𝘭𝘱𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘤𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘵𝘦 𝘣𝘦𝘵𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘢𝘯𝘴𝘸𝘦𝘳𝘴, 𝘣𝘦𝘵𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘵𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘵𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘴, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘮𝘰𝘳𝘦 𝘩𝘰𝘱𝘦 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘧𝘶𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘦 𝘨𝘦𝘯𝘦𝘳𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘴.

07/22/2026

Numbers can help us understand the scope of a disease.

They can never capture the people behind them.

Every ovarian cancer diagnosis represents someone whose plans suddenly change, whose family begins asking difficult questions, and whose future depends on continued advances in research and care.

That's why awareness matters. That's why research matters. And that's why conversations like these matter.

𝘛𝘰𝘥𝘢𝘺'𝘴 𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘤𝘩 𝘣𝘦𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘴 𝘵𝘰𝘮𝘰𝘳𝘳𝘰𝘸'𝘴 𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘯𝘥𝘢𝘳𝘥 𝘰𝘧 𝘤𝘢𝘳𝘦. 𝘋𝘰𝘯𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘴 𝘩𝘦𝘭𝘱 𝘧𝘶𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘵𝘶𝘥𝘪𝘦𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘭𝘪𝘦𝘳 𝘥𝘦𝘵𝘦𝘤𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯, 𝘪𝘮𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘵𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘴, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘮𝘰𝘳𝘦 𝘭𝘪𝘷𝘦𝘴 𝘤𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘨𝘦𝘥 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘣𝘦𝘵𝘵𝘦𝘳. 𝘑𝘰𝘪𝘯 𝘶𝘴 𝘪𝘯 𝘴𝘶𝘱𝘱𝘰𝘳𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘧𝘶𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘸𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘯'𝘴 𝘤𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘦𝘳 𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘤𝘩.

07/22/2026

A recent study assessed the associations between reproductive factors and ovarian cancer risk across menopausal status and birth cohorts. Women aged >40 years who underwent health screening in 2009 were included and followed up until ovarian cancer diagnosis, death, or December 31, 2022. The primary outcome was the incidence of ovarian cancer. In total, 2,285,774 women (932,637 [40.8%] premenopausal, 1, 353,137 [59.2%] postmenopausal were included in the study.

Over a follow-up duration of 10.7 years, 10,729 ovarian cancer cases were identified. For both premenopausal women and postmenopausal women, early menarche (aged ≤12 vs >16 years) was associated with higher ovarian cancer risk, while parity of >2 births was associated with lower ovarian cancer risk. Breastfeeding for >12 months and oral contraceptive use for >1 year were associated with lower ovarian cancer risk in premenopausal women but not postmenopausal women. Among postmenopausal women, later menopause (≥55 years), longer reproductive span (≥40 years), and hormone replacement therapy use for 2 to 5 years were associated with higher risk of ovarian cancer.

Overall, this study found associations between reproductive factors and cancer risk that differed across menopausal status and birth cohorts, highlighting the need for tailored prevention strategies for these populations.

1. Across the premenopausal and postmenopausal groups, early menarche, later menopause, and longer reproductive span were associated with higher ovarian cancer risk, while parity was associated with lower risk of ovarian cancer. Evidence Rating Level: 2 (Good) Although reproductive factors have been...

07/21/2026

The American Cancer Society estimates more than 320,000 new cases of breast cancer will be diagnosed in 2026. While the disease continues to affect millions of women, a recent report indicated that breast cancer death rates in the United States have dropped by more than 40%.

Moreover, national data reveal that the five-year survival rate for breast cancer is nearly 92%. This is primarily attributed to detecting the disease early via routine mammogram screening. However, the report also found that breast cancer continues to disproportionately affect women in lower-income countries and researchers predict the disease will affect more than 3 million women worldwide by 2050.

Potentially, education and awareness could improve survivability; additional education encouraging patients to better understand why family history might be relevant and being open to sharing those details with their health care provider may also improve outcomes.

A new report shows survival rates are improving in the United States and in other high-income countries.

07/21/2026

321,910 isn't just a projection.

It's hundreds of thousands of women who may spend 2026 navigating biopsies, treatment decisions, surgeries, appointments, and conversations they never expected to have.

Breast cancer remains one of the most commonly diagnosed cancers among women, which is why understanding risk, recognizing changes, and keeping up with recommended screenings matters.

𝘛𝘰𝘥𝘢𝘺'𝘴 𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘤𝘩 𝘣𝘦𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘴 𝘵𝘰𝘮𝘰𝘳𝘳𝘰𝘸'𝘴 𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘯𝘥𝘢𝘳𝘥 𝘰𝘧 𝘤𝘢𝘳𝘦. 𝘋𝘰𝘯𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘴 𝘩𝘦𝘭𝘱 𝘧𝘶𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘵𝘶𝘥𝘪𝘦𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘭𝘪𝘦𝘳 𝘥𝘦𝘵𝘦𝘤𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯, 𝘪𝘮𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘵𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘴, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘮𝘰𝘳𝘦 𝘭𝘪𝘷𝘦𝘴 𝘤𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘨𝘦𝘥 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘣𝘦𝘵𝘵𝘦𝘳. 𝘑𝘰𝘪𝘯 𝘶𝘴 𝘪𝘯 𝘴𝘶𝘱𝘱𝘰𝘳𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘧𝘶𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘸𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘯'𝘴 𝘤𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘦𝘳 𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘤𝘩.

07/16/2026

When uterine cancer is found early—before it has spread beyond the uterus—the outlook is encouraging.

The five-year relative survival rate is approximately 96% for localized disease.

That's why recognizing symptoms and acting on them is so important. While there is no routine screening test for uterine cancer in women at average risk, paying attention to changes like abnormal bleeding and discussing them with your healthcare provider can make a meaningful difference.

Research continues to improve how we detect, treat, and understand uterine cancer—bringing hope to more women every year.

𝘛𝘰𝘥𝘢𝘺'𝘴 𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘤𝘩 𝘣𝘦𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘴 𝘵𝘰𝘮𝘰𝘳𝘳𝘰𝘸'𝘴 𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘯𝘥𝘢𝘳𝘥 𝘰𝘧 𝘤𝘢𝘳𝘦. 𝘋𝘰𝘯𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘴 𝘩𝘦𝘭𝘱 𝘧𝘶𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘵𝘶𝘥𝘪𝘦𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘭𝘪𝘦𝘳 𝘥𝘦𝘵𝘦𝘤𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯, 𝘪𝘮𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘵𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘴, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘮𝘰𝘳𝘦 𝘭𝘪𝘷𝘦𝘴 𝘤𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘨𝘦𝘥 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘣𝘦𝘵𝘵𝘦𝘳. 𝘑𝘰𝘪𝘯 𝘶𝘴 𝘪𝘯 𝘴𝘶𝘱𝘱𝘰𝘳𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘧𝘶𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘸𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘯'𝘴 𝘤𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘦𝘳 𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘤𝘩.

07/15/2026

Ovarian cancer is difficult to diagnose early, especially in premenopausal women, since symptoms are vague, and CA-125 (a blood test that monitors treatment or disease progression in ovarian cancer) results can be elevated for benign reasons.

Many women are diagnosed with advanced ovarian cancer at an advanced stage, which is associated with worse survival. Current treatment pathways rely on CA-125, ultrasound, and the Risk of Malignancy Index (a diagnostic tool combining serum CA125 levels, ultrasound findings, and menopausal status to predict malignancy in the ovaries, uterus, or fallopian tubes).

However, these tests have important limitations and can miss early cancers or lead to unnecessary surgery. Evidence comparing newer models has been limited, particularly in premenopausal women, where fertility preservation and the lower cancer prevalence make the balance between detecting cancer and avoiding overtreatment more delicate. The ROCkeTS study was designed to address this gap by directly comparing several modern ultrasound- and biomarker-based risk models against the Risk of Malignancy Index in women referred to secondary care with suspected ovarian cancer. Out of 1,211 premenopausal women, 88 (7.3%) were diagnosed with primary ovarian cancer. Among these individuals, 5.7% (49 of 857) were diagnosed before June 2018, and 11.0% (39 of 354) after recruitment. Using the current standard Risk of Malignancy Index, sensitivity was 42.6% and specificity 96.5%, meaning it missed more than half of cancers but produced few false positives. Other models detected more cancers; however, there were also more false positives.

1. This cohort study found that the IOTA ADNEX ultrasound model at a 10% risk threshold detected more ovarian cancers in premenopausal women than the currently used Risk of Malignancy Index, making it a better test for triaging patients in secondary care. Evidence Rating Level: 1 (Excellent) Ovarian...