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More than one in three Canadian women wrongly believe the new, much-hyped HPV vaccine will prevent ovarian cancer, a new poll reveals.

And one in four women surveyed think the Pap test they undergo routinely can detect cancer in the ovaries.

In fact, the vaccine prevents infection with some strains of human papillomavirus, which can cause cervical cancer. The Pap test is done to detect early signs of cervical cancer.

"This is pretty disturbing," said Elisabeth Ross, CEO of Ovarian Cancer Canada, which commissioned the survey.

She said the poll shows there is a lot of confusion about "cancers down there" and "we have to do a lot better job of communicating with women."

Barbara Vanderhyden, the Corinne Boyer Chair in Ovarian Cancer Research at the University of Ottawa, echoed that view.

"It is critical that young women know that HPV vaccine and Pap tests for cervical cancers are not catch-alls for diseases below the waist," she said.

Dr. Vanderhyden said her worry is that young women - many of whom will start receiving the HPV vaccine in school this fall - will grow up believing there is no need for gynecological exams.

In 2007 in Canada, an estimated 1,350 women will be diagnosed with cervical cancer and 390 will die from the disease.

By contrast, this year an estimated 2,400 women will be diagnosed with ovarian cancer and 1,700 will die of it.

There is no vaccine or screening test for ovarian cancer. The symptoms are also notoriously vague, earning it the moniker the "cancer that whispers."

In the fall of 2002, Shelley Magonet-Pelc, at age 50, began suffering from an unusual backache, along with bloating and abdominal discomfort.

Suspecting a gynecological problem, she made an appointment with her gynecologist. "He told me I was fine."

Ms. Magonet-Pelc then turned to her family doctor. The symptoms pointed to a number of possibilities: bladder infection, pelvic infection, bowel infection, diverticulitis, irritable bowel syndrome. All were ruled out before the doctor arrived at her final diagnosis - constipation.

But Ms. Magonet-Pelc's condition grew worse, to the point where a mere touch of her abdomen caused excruciating pain. Finally, an abdominal ultrasound revealed a cancerous growth on her ovaries.

Since then, she has undergone three bouts of surgery and spent more than a year on chemotherapy treatment.

Today, Ms. Magonet-Pelc, a pharmacist in Thornhill, Ont., serves as a volunteer with a program called Survivors Teaching Students.She visits medical and nursing students to talk about her experience.

"Ignorance about ovarian cancer is widespread, in the public and among health professionals," she said. "What I tell students is: 'Keep it on your radar screen.' "

There are no clear risk factors for ovarian cancer, aside from genetics. Women with the so-called breast cancer gene, mutations to the BRCA1 or BRCA2 genes, are at much higher risk. That is particularly true of women of Ashkenazi Jewish descent, and of women born to descendants of Quebec's founding families.

Women who have had breast or colon cancer, which often has a genetic link to ovarian cancer, are also at higher risk. But the biggest risk factor is age - most of the time, for reasons that are not entirely clear, ovarian cancer strikes at the start of menopause.

Women who have used oral contraceptives have a lower risk, as do those who have given birth and breastfed.

To detect ovarian cancer, a physician needs to do a vaginal-rectal pelvic exam and a transvaginal ultrasound.

Contrary to claims circulating on the Internet, the blood test C-125 is not a simple test for ovarian cancer, but a tumour marker that can help spot recurrence.

In the new survey, one in five women identified C-125 as a screening test for ovarian cancer. "This isn't a good thing," Ms. Ross said. "Women are being misled."

She said the best way to detect ovarian cancer is for a woman to be aware of the warning signs. These include fatigue, bloating, unusual vaginal bleeding, backache and changes in bowel habits and frequency of urination.