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Cure Rates for Ovarian Cancer

The Gilda Radner Familial Ovarian Cancer Registry says that ovarian cancer is relatively rare, accounting for just 3 percent of cancer cases in women. Unfortunately, it has a high fatality rate when it is not diagnosed and treated early. The cure rate rises significantly when ovarian cancer is caught and treated early, so screening for this disease is very important.

  1. Statistics

    • Ovarian cancer is one of the least common cancers in women, striking just 22,000 each year. However, the Gilda Radner Familial Ovarian Cancer Registry says that it's one of the most deadly types. Out of 22,000 cases, 15,000 women will die of the disease. Most are not able to be cured because they were not diagnosed early enough to receive effective treatment. The National Institutes of Health says that older women are more likely to die of ovarian cancer. Women age 55 or older account for two-thirds of ovarian cancer deaths, while women between 35 and 54 account for 25 percent of deaths from this disease.

    Early Time Frame

    • When ovarian cancer is diagnosed before it spreads, Molly Ginty of Women's eNews says it has a cure rate of 92 percent. When a woman is diagnosed early, she has an excellent chance of survival and her treatments are not as lengthy or invasive as those required for advanced cases.

    Late Time Frame

    • Ginty says that 75 percent of women with ovarian cancer are not diagnosed with the disease until it has reached its advanced stage. At that point, only 15 percent can be cured. Even though it is rare, this low cure rate makes it the fifth most deadly disease for women in America.

    Risk

    • Some women have a greater risk of developing ovarian cancer than others. According to the American Cancer Society, those who have immediate family members with ovarian cancer have a 10 percent to 15 percent greater chance of developing it. An inherited mutation in certain breast cancer genes can increase the risk by as much as 70 percent. Early onset of menstruation, early menopause, obesity and difficulty with conception are also risk factors. Women who have these factors should be on alert so if they develop cancer, they can begin treatment as soon as possible to boost their chance for a cure.

    Prevention

    • Fatalities can be prevented and ovarian cure rates can be increased through early detection. However, Dr. Molly Brewer of the University of Connecticut Health Center says that ovarian cancer can be hard to diagnose because it is poorly understood and its symptoms can mimic other diseases. There is no accurate screening test, so women with symptoms such as stomach pain, bloating and changes in bladder and bowel habits must see a doctor to rule out other causes. Then further tests can be used to search for ovarian cancer. According to the National Institutes of Health, these typically include blood work, urinalysis, CAT scans, MRIs, an ultrasound or an exploratory laparotomy.

      Women who have increase risk factors may opt to have their ovaries removed as a precaution. If this is done before menopause, Brewer says it drops the risk 95 percent.

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