Download Ovarian cancer Globally, ovarian cancer is the most deadly of the

Ovarian cancer
Globally, ovarian cancer is the most deadly of the
gynaecological cancers1
 Ovarian cancer is diagnosed in nearly a quarter of a million women globally each year.
 It is the eighth most common and the seventh leading cause of cancer death among
women, responsible for approximately 140,000 deaths each year.
Figure 1 Age standardised mortality rate for ovarian
cancer
Many patients are
diagnosed late, when
treatment becomes more
difficult
 The prognosis for ovarian cancer
patients is poor and over half of
women diagnosed with ovarian
cancer will not live beyond five
years.2,3
 Symptoms are ambiguous and
often misdiagnosed4,5 as they can
be confused with symptoms of
other less severe diseases,
particularly gastrointestinal
complaints.
 This means the majority of patients
are only identified in the advanced
stages when the disease becomes
more difficult to treat.2
 In addition, there is no routine,
simple test to accurately detect
ovarian cancer so reliable
screening for the disease is not yet
feasible.6
 For this reason, ovarian cancer is
often referred to as “The Silent
Killer”.
Figure 2 Annual incidence and mortality rates
of female cancers worldwide
Figure 3 Late diagnosis results in poor survival
Treatment options include surgery, chemotherapy and
biological therapies
 Treatment options vary depending on the size, position and stage of the cancer as well
as the patient’s physical condition.
 There have been few treatment advances in several years. Surgery and chemotherapy
remain the current standard of care.
 In most cases of advanced ovarian cancer initial treatment (with surgery and
chemotherapy) does not stop the disease returning and most women will have a relapse
within 15 months of diagnosis.7
Figure 3 Late diagnosis results in poor survival
References
1. WHO, IARC GLOBOCAN, Cancer Incidence and
Mortality Worldwide in 2008 at
http://globocan.iarc.fr/
2. Heintz APM, Odicino F, Maisonneuve P, et al. Int
J Gynaecol Obstet 2006;95 (Suppl 1):S161–92
3. American Cancer Society. Cancer Facts and
Figures 2007. Atlanta, American Cancer Society
2007
4. Goff BA, Mandel L, Muntz HG, Melancon CH.
Cancer 2000;89:2068–75
5. Goff BA, Mandel L, Melancon CH, Muntz HG.
JAMA 2004;291:2705–12
6. Badgwell D, Bast RC. Markers 2007;23:397–410
7. Hennessy B et al. Lancet 2009; 9698: 1371-1382