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The survival rate for ovarian cancer depends on its stage at the time of diagnosis. Ovarian cancer is the most fatal of all cancers involving a woman's reproductive tract. Most ovarian cancer develops after menopause, and about half of ovarian cancers occur in women over age 60.
Unfortunately, only 15% of ovarian cancers are diagnosed at an early stage, when the disease is confined to the ovary and is most easily treated. Women diagnosed in the early stages have an 89% to 94% chance of surviving at least five years.
About 75% of women with ovarian cancer survive one year after diagnosis, and 46% survive five years after being diagnosed. The survival rate drops as the stage of the cancer increases, with an 18% five-year survival rate in women whose cancer has spread beyond the abdomen. Younger women (under age 65) have a better five-year survival rate than older women.
Unfortunately, only 15% of ovarian cancers are diagnosed at an early stage, when the disease is confined to the ovary and is most easily treated. Women diagnosed in the early stages have an 89% to 94% chance of surviving at least five years.
About 75% of women with ovarian cancer survive one year after diagnosis, and 46% survive five years after being diagnosed. The survival rate drops as the stage of the cancer increases, with an 18% five-year survival rate in women whose cancer has spread beyond the abdomen. Younger women (under age 65) have a better five-year survival rate than older women.
Women who are diagnosed with early stage ovarian cancer (stages I to II) have five-year survival rates that range from 57% to 90%. In contrast, the five-year survival rates for patients who are diagnosed with advanced stage disease range from 18% to 45%. Despite advances in surgery and platinum-based chemotherapy the mortality rates of individuals with ovarian cancer remain poor. In the past 40 years, the median five-year survival rate for women with advanced stage cancer has increased from 37% to 46%.
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