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Ovarian Cancer survival statistics

While treatment for ovarian cancer has advanced over the last 20 years, long term survival rates have changed very little. This page presents ovarian cancer survival statistics including survival trends over time, by stage at diagnosis and by age.

Ovarian cancer survival trends

The relative five-year survival rate for women diagnosed in England and Wales in 1991-1993 was 29%, compared with 23% for women diagnosed 1971-1975 (Figure 3.1)1.

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The latest survival figures for Scotland are promising, with an increase in the relative five-year survival rate from 33% in women diagnosed 1991-1995 to 41% in women diagnosed 1996-19992.

Ovarian cancer survival by stage

The most important determinant of survival for ovarian cancer is the stage of disease at diagnosis. For women diagnosed with early stage disease the five-year survival rate is more than 70%, but only a fifth of cases are diagnosed this early. For women diagnosed with distant metastases the five-year survival rate is around 15%, and around a third of women are diagnosed with this stage of disease (Table 3.1). Most of the improvements in survival of ovarian cancer have been among women presenting with stage I or II disease3.

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Ovarian cancer survival by age

As Figure 3.2 shows, the older a woman is at diagnosis, the lower her five-year survival rate: women aged 15-39 at diagnosis had a five-year relative survival rate of nearly 70% compared to 12% for women diagnosed in their 80s1. Women under 50 are the more likely to be diagnosed with local disease and women over 65 are more likely to be diagnosed with distant metastases (Thames Cancer Registry personal communication).

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References for ovarian cancer survival

1. Office for National Statistics. 2005 Accessed
2. ISD Online. Information and Statistics Division. 2005 Accessed
3. Engel, J., et al., Moderate progress for ovarian cancer in the last 20 years: prolongation of survival, but no improvement in the cure rate. Eur J Cancer, 2002. 38(18): p. 2435-45.

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