Shop loyalty card data could help detect ovarian cancer

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Tracking what shoppers buy through loyalty-card data could help spot those people with early signs of cancer, say doctors who ran a study.

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They found that frequent purchases of over-the-counter pain relievers and indigestion pills were associated with a higher risk of ovarian cancer.

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Ovarian cancer is often diagnosed late.

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There is no reliable screening test and symptoms, such as swelling, can be vague and confused with other common, harmless conditions.

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Symptoms include swollen or bloated stomach, indigestion, pelvic or abdominal pain, loss of appetite or feeling full soon after eating, need to urinate more often

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Early diagnosis improves the chances of successful treatment.

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Fiona Murphy was 25 when she was diagnosed and treated for a rare type of ovarian cancer.

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She had been having stomach cramps and indigestion for a few years, which other doctors repeatedly thought might be irritable-bowel syndrome.

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Now 39, Fiona is helping the team at Imperial College London with their research.

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Long before women have recognized their symptoms as dangerous enough to go to the GP, they can treat them at home.

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The researchers worked with two large high street retailers and 283 female customers who agreed to share their shopping data dating back more than six years.

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More than half were diagnosed with ovarian cancer.

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More research is needed to confirm the findings. The team now plans to test whether the shopping data could also help detect other cancers - such as stomach, liver and bladder cancer.

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