According to the National Cancer Institute (NCI), there are over 22,000 cases of ovarian cancer and over 14,000 deaths from the condition each year. The vast majority of the cases are EOC and are found at stage 3 or later, meaning the cancer has spread beyond the pelvis or to the lymph nodes. This is mostly due to the lack of definite symptoms and signs at the early stages of cancer growth. Around 1.3% of women will be diagnosed with cancer of the ovary at some point in life, thus, it is relatively rare. The median age of diagnosis is 63. However, approximately 25% of cases are diagnosed between ages 35 and 54. Caucasian women have the highest rate of diagnosis. The incidence rates for ovarian cancer have been declining slightly over the past 10 years in the U.S., by about 1.9% per year. Death rates have also fallen an average of 2.2% per year.
Like many other cancers, when ovarian cancer is found at an early stage (for example, localized to the ovary or fallopian tube) the average survival rate at five years is very good (about 92%); most women at stage 1 will still be alive at five years. However, the five-year average survival rate for all women diagnosed with ovarian cancer is only 47.4%. This is because it is often found at an advanced stage in which the disease has already spread within the abdomen.
Survival is also dependent on the type of care the patient receives. Women suspected of having ovarian cancer should be referred to a gynecologic oncologist. These are physicians with special training in gynecologic (ovarian, uterine, cervical, vulvar, and vaginal) cancers. If a woman does not involve a doctor with this specialized training in her care, then studies show that her survival is significantly worse, often by many years. For this reason, every woman with this disease ideally will obtain a referral to a gynecologic oncologist before she starts any treatment or has any surgery.