SOUTHAMPTON is to take the lead on the fight against cancer during Ovarian Cancer Awareness Month.

Health specialists in the city will join forces with charity Target Ovarian Cancer to run a special event for women living with or beyond ovarian cancer.

The Being Together day will be hosted on March 13, offering an opportunity for women to meet others fighting the disease, compare experiences and share advice, as well as question local clinicians.

In the South Central region 1,478 women are diagnosed with ovarian cancer each year, and 877 lose their lives.

It’s the deadliest of all the gynaecological cancers, with deaths from ovarian cancer nearly four times more common than those from cervical cancer and this event aims to raise awareness of the disease.

Southampton nurse Dr Alison Farmer, who has overcome ovarian cancer herself and now uses her experiences to give her insight in her work as a lecturer in psycho-social oncology at the University of Southampton as well as her nursing, will be on the panel of experts answering women’s questions on the day.

She said: “The Being Together day is an important day for women with ovarian cancer to get the support and advice they need to live well with, and after ovarian cancer.

“They will also gain access to vital tools to help them raise awareness of the disease in their local areas.

“The more women who know about the symptoms of ovarian cancer, the more lives will be saved.”