Sean Devlin
Women with ovarian cancer have reported abdominal/pelvic pain, bloating, difficulty eating or feeling full quickly, and urinary frequency/urgency prior to diagnosis. While case-control studies have been important in identifying the initial symptoms, this seminar examines how health insurance claims data can further elucidate the association between symptom prevalence and ovarian cancer, and potentially address the need for advocacy at the patient- and/or physician-level. We examine methods to discern the relative prevalence of the four symptoms and describe the association with cancer stage at diagnosis. Lastly, we explore the performance of a hypothetical passive screening tool implemented using insurance claims data.
