When the wife of one of our members was recently diagnosed with ovarian cancer, the Perennials RFC wanted to offer help and support in any way we could. The only option was for a group of 20 overweight men to get bicycles, lycra and chamois cream and participate in the Gran Fondo Giro d'Italia event...

One in 70 women develop ovarian cancer by the age of 75 years. Compared to breast cancer (1 in 7) it is a rare disease. However, ovarian cancer is difficult to detect and therefore women frequently present with advanced disease that is difficult to cure.

There are many different types of “ovarian cancer”. The commonest type – High Grade Serous Carcinoma – accounts for 70% of cases. At present there is no effective screening test for this disease. However, in 2008 there was a major breakthrough that suggested the origin of the disease was not the ovary, but the Fallopian tube in the majority of cases. A pre-malignant abnormality was identified in the Fallopian tube, that could unlock the door to a test suitable for screening.

Scientists and clinicians at the Centre for Cancer Research and Cell Biology (CCRCB) at the Queen’s University of Belfast identified abnormal changes at a molecular level, that occur before the Fallopian tube cells appear abnormal under the microscope. These changes remained as the fallopian tube cells underwent malignant transformation and spread to other areas of the abdominal cavity. This research significantly contributed to the global accumulation of evidence that the Fallopian tube was the origin of most High Grade Serous pelvic tumours.