Saudi Arabia has the lowest rate of ovarian cancer at both GCC and global levels. Only three in every 100,000 women being known to have the disease in the Kingdom, compared to 7 women among GCC countries, according to data released by the Saudi Cancer Registry (SCR).

Dr. Faisal bin Abdullah Al-Safi, the head of the gynecological oncology department at King Abdulaziz Medical City for the National Guard, said that ovarian cancer is one of the leading causes of women deaths in the world.

He said that ovarian cancer is the seventh most common tumor found among women in the Kingdom.

“Based on statistics, more than 140,000 women worldwide die annually from ovarian cancer, with 250,000 new cases diagnosed every year,” Al-Safi said.

Women between the ages of 60 and 62 are more prone to the disease.

Safi warned that the symptoms of ovarian cancer are similar to those of other diseases, which makes it difficult to discover its presence in its early stages.

“For this reason, 80 percent of cases are detected in their late stages, and it therefore becomes difficult to cure such cases,” he added.