Hundreds of lives a year at stake, says charity

The government's pledged to increase awareness of ovarian cancer among women in the North West.

The news has been welcomed by Target Ovarian Cancer which earlier highlighted that symptoms awareness amongst women is not improving.

Data from 2012 shows that only 4% of women in the North West are very confident of spotting a symptom of ovarian cancer

The charity and its supporters have been campaigning for this escalation, and says large-scale government investment is urgently needed to address the issue.

Sufferer Eilish Hoole, from Buxton, has spoken to MPs on a number of occasions about the importance of raising symptom awareness.

She said: "I'm thrilled that the government has taken another positive step to reduce the number of women dying from ovarian cancer.

"We are not there yet, a national campaign is still needed, but this is a vital step forward."

Target Ovarian Cancer's chief executive, Annwen Jones, said a national awareness programme, could save 500 lives a year.