Facts and figures
How common is ovarian cancer?
Ovarian cancer is the fourth most common form of cancer death in women, after breast, lung and bowel cancer. However, the average GP will see only one case of ovarian cancer every five years.
Each year in the UK there are approximately
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7,000 cases of ovarian cancer1. This is roughly 135 women each week
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4,300 deaths from ovarian cancer2
Why is early diagnosis so important?
Most women are diagnosed once the cancer has already spread which makes treatment more challenging. Diagnosed in the earliest stage of ovarian cancer, women have a very good chance of surviving, with five year survival rates of above 90%. When diagnosed at the latest stage, five year survival rates are below 10%3. This is why early diagnosis is so important.
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Research has shown that just 3% of women in the UK are very confident about recognising a symptom of ovarian cancer4
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Delays in diagnosing ovarian cancer are not uncommon. Women sometimes delay seeing their GP, and GPs sometimes do not recognise the potential importance of the symptoms women report5
What increases the risk of someone developing ovarian cancer?
The two most important aspects affecting a woman’s risk of developing ovarian cancer during her lifetime are age, and family history6.
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The risk of ovarian cancer does increase with age, and particularly after the menopause. Over eight in ten cases will occur in women who have gone through the menopause.
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Most cases of ovarian cancer are ‘sporadic’ or one offs. This means that close female relatives of someone with ovarian cancer do not necessarily face an increased risk of developing the disease themselves. However in around one in every ten cases, a family link can be identified. If a woman has two or more close family relatives with a history of ovarian cancer, or ovarian cancer and/or breast cancer then she should discuss her family history with her doctor. Both sides of a woman’s family (mother and father) should be considered.
Can anything reduce the risk of a woman developing ovarian cancer?
There are a number of things which significantly reduce a woman’s risk of developing ovarian cancer, but none offer complete protection.
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Having children
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Breastfeeding
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Taking the oral contraceptive pill for a number of years
Can ovarian cancer be confused with other conditions?
The symptoms of ovarian cancer are often similar to those of other less serious but more common conditions, such as irritable bowel syndrome. However the increased frequency and persistency of the symptoms are what help to distinguish between ovarian cancer and other conditions. It should be noted that women over the age of 50 rarely develop irritable bowel syndrome, and should a GP think this is the case, they should make sure they have considered other causes such as ovarian cancer7.
How does the UK’s survival rates for ovarian cancer compare to other countries?
England has the lowest survival rate for ovarian cancer in Europe. It is estimated that in the UK, if survival rates matched the best survival rates in Europe, 500 women’s lives would be saved every year8.
References
1 www.cancerresearch.org.uk Statistics for diagnoses in 2010, accessed in November 2013.
2 www.cancerresearch.org.uk Statistics for deaths in 2010, accessed in November 2013.
2 www.cancerresearch.org.uk/cancerstats/types/ovary/survival/ accessed in November 2013.
4 Target Ovarian Cancer Pathfinder Study 2012 using the Ovarian Cancer Awareness Measure developed by The Eve Appeal, Ovacome, Ovarian Cancer Action and Target Ovarian Cancer.
5 The Target Ovarian Cancer Pathfinder Study 2012 showed that a quarter of women waited three months or more before seeing their GP. Once they visited their GP a third of women waited six months or more before getting a correct diagnosis. www.targetovariancancer.org.uk/pathfinder
6 www.cancerresearch.org.uk Key facts on ovarian cancer accessed November 2013.
7 www.nice.org.uk/cg122
8 Abdel-Rahman M, Stockton D, Barchel B, Hakulinen T, Coleman MP: What if cancer survival in Britain were the same as in Europe: how many deaths are avoidable? Br J Cancer 2009 Dec 3; 101 Suppl2:S115-24