Facts and Figures – Ovarian Cancer Survival Rates

Ovarian cancer, the deadliest of all gynecologic cancers, has provided a significant challenge for the scientific community. While survival rates for other women’s cancers – like breast and cervical cancer – have increased dramatically in recent years, the incidence and mortality of ovarian cancer has remained unchanged in 50 years. This is primarily due to the lack of an accurate early detection test for the disease.

When caught in its earliest stages, ovarian cancer survival rates can be as high as 90 percent. Regrettably, however, early symptoms of ovarian cancer are difficult to diagnose, are often misdiagnosed, or go undetected, which leads to nearly 75% of all ovarian cancer patients being diagnosed in advanced stages. Long-term survival rate for advanced ovarian cancer is only 10%.

• Seven in ten women die within five years of being diagnosed with ovarian cancer.
• The long-term disease-free survival rate for advanced ovarian cancer is only 10%.
• Every three and a half hours, another woman is diagnosed with ovarian cancer.
• It is estimated that approximately $2.2 billion is spent in the U.S. each year on treatment for ovarian cancer.
• In Washington State, a woman dies every day of ovarian cancer.

Helpful Links:

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Division of Cancer Prevention and Control on Ovarian Cancer

National Cancer Institute's Ovarian Cancer Home Page