Metastasized Ovarian Cancer Prognosis

Ovarian cancer is a disease where the cells in the organs that produce eggs, or ova, begin to grow and multiply uncontrollably. Each year, approximately 19,000 American women receive a diagnosis of ovarian cancer, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Identification

• Metastasized ovarian cancer is sometimes referred to as Stage 4 ovarian cancer and is the most advanced form of the disease.

Features

• Metastasized ovarian cancer occurs when cancerous cells spread beyond your ovaries and cause cancer in other areas of your body, such as your lungs, liver or other organs. This secondary cancer requires treatment as well, making your overall prognosis worse than in other types of ovarian cancer.

Types

• The prognosis for women with metastasized invasive epithelial ovarian cancer is worse than women who have metastasized germ cell tumors or cancer that begins in the fallopian tubes, according to the American Cancer Society.

Statistics

• Only 18 percent of women with metastasized invasive epithelial ovarian cancer survive for five years, while other types of metastasized ovarian cancers carry a 40- to 55-percent five-year survival rate, according to the American Cancer Society.

Considerations

• Your overall prognosis after receiving a diagnosis of metastasized ovarian cancer may vary greatly from statistics. Your oncologist will be able to give you a more individualized estimation of your chance of recovering from advanced ovarian cancer. Every case is unique.