Data extracted from retailer loyalty cards on purchases of over-the-counter medicine could help to spot ovarian cancer cases early, a new UK study suggests.
Researchers at Imperial College, London, UK, studied the buying habits of almost 300 women. They found that pain and indigestion medication purchases were high in women subsequently diagnosed with ovarian cancer.
The change in buying habit was identified eight months before the women were diagnosed, they say, in a first-of-its-kind study, published in JMIR Public Health and Surveillance.
Symptoms of ovarian cancer can be unclear in the early stages of the disease and can include loss of appetite, stomach pain and bloating, the researchers say.
Study lead author Dr James Flanagan, from Imperial’s Department of Surgery & Cancer, said: “The cancer symptoms we are looking for are very common, but for some women, they could be the first signs of something more serious.
“Using shopping data, our study found a noticeable increase in purchases of pain and indigestion medications among women with ovarian cancer up to eight months before diagnosis, compared with women without ovarian cancer. This suggests that long before women have recognised their symptoms as alarming enough to go to the GP, they may be treating them at home.
“As we know early diagnosis of ovarian cancer is key to improving chances of survival, we hope this research can lead to ovarian cancer symptoms being picked up earlier and improve patients’ options for treatment.”
The Cancer Research UK-funded study also included teams from UCL, London, and the University of Birmingham and included analysis of six years’ worth of loyalty card data from 283 women who used two UK high street retailers.
Out of the cohort, 153 had been diagnosed with ovarian cancer and 120 had not, and all were asked to complete a short questionnaire about ovarian cancer risk factors, any symptoms they may have experienced and the number of GP visits in the year leading up to cancer referral or diagnosis for cases.
On average, participants with ovarian cancer began to recognise their symptoms about four and a half months before diagnosis. Of those who visited a GP to check their symptoms, the first visit occurred, on average, about three and a half months before diagnosis.
The researchers say although further studies are needed to confirm their findings, they hope what they have discovered could lead to the future development of an alert system for individuals to help them to seek medical attention for symptoms of cancer, or other diseases, sooner than they might otherwise do.
Dr David Crosby, head of prevention and early detection research at Cancer Research UK, said: “Today, in the digital age, we live with a wealth of data at our fingertips. Studies like this are a great example of how we can harness this information for good and help us detect cancer earlier.
“It’s incredible to think that this innovative study using loyalty cards, something most of us carry in our wallets, could help women with ovarian cancer which is often diagnosed late and mimics the symptoms of other, more benign conditions.
“Whilst further research with more patients is needed, this study indicates exciting potential for a new way to detect cancer earlier and save lives.”
Association Between Purchase of Over-the-Counter Medications and Ovarian Cancer Diagnosis in the Cancer Loyalty Card Study (CLOCS): Observational Case-Control Study JMIR Public Health and Surveillance 26 January 2023
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