Ovarian cancer survival statistics

Survival for ovarian cancer has improved over the last 35 years, but long-term rates are still low (Figure 3.1). For women diagnosed in England during 2003-07, the  one- and five-year age-standardised relative survival rates are 70% and 41%, respectively, compared to 42% and 21%, respectively, for women diagnosed in England and Wales during 1971-75.1 Similar estimates have also been reported for Scotland.One- and five-year survival increased from 52% and 30%, respectively, for women diagnosed during 1980-84 to 67% and 38%, respectively, for women diagnosed during 2000-04 11.

Figure 3.1: Ovarian Cancer, One-, Five- and Ten-Year Age-Standardised Relative Survival Rates, Adults (Ages 15-99), England and Wales, 1971-1995, and England, 1996-2007

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Much of the increase occurred during the 1980s and 1990s, and appears to be levelling off in the 2000s. The significant increase in one-year survival is likely to be the result of greater use of platinum-based chemotherapy, while the increase in five-year survival may be due to both wider access to optimal primary treatment and greater determination to treat recurrent disease.2 The difference between five- and ten-year survival rates is relatively small (38% vs 35% in 2001-03) indicating that women who survive for five years after diagnosis have a good chance of being cured. Comparative studies of ovarian cancer mortality in Scotland also indicate this. 3

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There is a steep gradient in survival by age, with younger women having a better prognosis (Figure 3.2). For women diagnosed in England during 2003-07, five-year relative survival rates were over 80% for women aged 15-39 and over 60% for women aged 40-49; the disease is more difficult to treat for older women, often because it is widespread at diagnosis, and rates steadily decrease with increasing age. However, survival has improved in all but the very oldest ages since the early 1990s. A recent UK study using the General Practice Research Database concluded that GPs were less likely ‘to recognise and to refer patients presenting with ovarian cancer as they get older’: this could be a contributory factor towards the lower survival rates in older women.4

Figure 3.2: Ovarian Cancer, Five-Year Age-Specific Relative Survival Rates, England and Wales, 1991-1995, and England, 2003-2007

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section updated 08/03/11

An important determinant of ovarian cancer survival is the stage of the disease at diagnosis. Data from the Anglia Cancer Network area for women diagnosed during 2004-08 has shown that five-year relative survival rates are more than 90% for early stage disease, but fall very sharply to less than 10% for late stage cases (Table 3.1).5 The majority (60%) of women are diagnosed with stage III or IV disease, and only around 30% of women are diagnosed at the earliest stage. 5

Table 3.1: Ovarian Cancer, Five-Year Stage-Specific Relative Survival Rates, Adults (Ages 15-99), Anglia Cancer Network, 2004-2008

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There has been a clear improvement in five-year survival for stage I patients since the late 1980s, with rates increasing from around 80% in 1987-91 to 92% in 2004-085 (Figure 3.3). Less than 5% of patients are diagnosed with stage II disease, and although five-year survival rates have increased since the late 1980s, the confidence intervals are wide (Table 3.1) making it difficult to draw firm conclusions about any improvement. Five-year survival for women with stage III disease has shown a small but consistent improvement since the early 1980s, and there has been very little change in prognosis for stage IV patients5. A study from the Munich area in Germany has also indicated that most of the long-term improvement in ovarian cancer survival has occurred among women presenting with stage I or II disease 6. 

Figure 3.3: Ovarian cancer, Five-Year Stage-Specific Relative Survival Rates, Adults (Ages 15-99), Anglia Cancer Network, 1987-2008

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section updated 23/03/11

When UK survival rates for ovarian cancer are compared with those of other countries, including Australia, Canada, Norway, and Sweden, they are significantly worse. Differences in data quality and coding practices across Europe may contribute to some of the variation, but the consistently lower levels for UK countries suggest real differences in survival. More detailed studies to investigate the factors underlying these differences within Europe are being undertaken. 7-10 It has been estimated that if survival from ovarian cancer in Britain equalled the best in Europe, then almost 2,400 deaths could be avoided within five years of diagnosis. 11

section updated 08/03/11