Survival statistics for ovarian cancer
Survival statistics for ovarian cancer are very general estimates and must be interpreted very carefully. Because these statistics are based on the experience of groups of women, they cannot be used to predict a particular woman’s chances of survival.
There are many different ways to measure and report cancer survival statistics. Your doctor can explain the statistics for ovarian cancer and what they mean to you.
Net survival
Net survival represents the probability of surviving cancer in the absence of other causes of death. It is used to give an estimate of the percentage of people who will survive their cancer.
In Canada, the 5-year net survival for ovarian cancer is 45%. This means that about 45% of women diagnosed with ovarian cancer will survive for at least 5 years.
Survival by stage and tumour type
Survival varies with each stage and particular tumour type of ovarian cancer. Generally, the earlier ovarian cancer is diagnosed and treated, the better the outcome.
Survival by stage and tumour type of ovarian cancer is reported as 5-year relative survival. Relative survival looks at how likely people with cancer are to survive after their diagnosis compared to people in the general population who do not have cancer, but who share similar characteristics (such as age and sex).
There are no specific Canadian statistics available for the different stages and types of ovarian cancer. The following information comes from a variety of sources. It may include statistics from other countries that are likely to have similar outcomes as in Canada.
|
Stage |
5-year relative survival |
|---|---|
|
1 |
90% |
|
1A |
94% |
|
1B |
92% |
|
1C |
85% |
|
2 |
70% |
|
2A |
78% |
|
2B |
73% |
|
2C |
57% |
|
3 |
39% |
|
3A |
59% |
|
3B |
52% |
|
3C |
39% |
|
4 |
17% |
|
Stage |
5-year relative survival |
|---|---|
|
1 |
95% |
|
2 |
78% |
|
3 |
65% |
|
4 |
35% |
|
Stage |
5-year relative survival |
|---|---|
|
1 |
98% |
|
2 |
94% |
|
3 |
87% |
|
4 |
69% |
|
Stage |
5-year relative survival |
10-year relative survival |
|---|---|---|
|
1 |
99% |
97% |
|
2 |
98% |
90% |
|
3 |
96% |
88% |
|
4 |
77% |
69% |
Primary peritoneal carcinoma survival
The overall 5-year survival for primary peritoneal carcinoma is about 20%. Long-term survival may be better than 20% if the treatment plan includes chemotherapy.
Questions about survival
Talk to your doctor about your prognosis. A prognosis depends on many factors, including:
- your health history
- the type of cancer
- the grade
- the stage
- certain characteristics of the cancer
- the treatments chosen
- how the cancer responds to treatment
Only a doctor familiar with these factors can put all of this information together with survival statistics to arrive at a prognosis.