20.11.12
Ovarian cancer survival rates improve – NCIN
The number of women dying from ovarian cancer in England has fallen significantly over the last decade, according to a new report by the National Cancer Intelligence Network.
Since 2001, the rate has fallen from 11.2 women in every 100,000, or 3,820 cases, to 8.8 per 100,000 (3,453 cases) in 2010. This equates to a drop of around 20%, with a particular decrease among 40-69 year olds.
One-year survival rates for the disease have risen from 57% to 73%, and five-year survival rates have gone up from 33% to 44% since the mid-1980s.
However, survival becomes increasingly worse with age, with 84% of women aged 15-39 surviving for at least five years, whilst for over-85s the rate is only 14%.
Specialists suggested the rise in survival rates may be due to the widespread use of oral contraceptives, which protect against the disease developing by stopping ovulation.
Dr Andy Nordin, gynaecological oncologist at East Kent Hospitals University NHS Foundation Trust and study author, said: “This drop in deaths may reflect improvements in detecting and treating the disease, such as improvements in scanning, surgery and chemotherapy treatments.
“Additionally, over the past decade, ovarian cancer patients throughout the UK have experienced better management due to organisation of ovarian cancer care in specialist gynaecological cancer centres, planning of care by teams of cancer experts and specialist surgery by specially trained and accredited gynaecological oncologists.”
Chris Carrigan, head of the National Cancer Intelligence Network (NCIN), said: “As ovarian cancer can be very hard to diagnose and treat this report was important to help us learn as much as we can about the numbers of women who develop the disease, how many survive and how many die.”
Hazel Nunn, head of evidence and health information at Cancer Research UK, said: “It’s encouraging to see that the number of women dying from ovarian cancer is falling, especially as ovarian cancer can be difficult to diagnose and treat.”
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