According to Cancer Research UK, Ovarian cancer survival rates have nearly doubled in the past 30 years in England and Wales.
The survival rate for ovarian cancer, five years after diagnosis has increased from 21% in the early 1970’s to 41% per cent today. Cancer Research UK states that the improvement in the survival rate means that over 1,000 women per year in England and Wales are now surviving ovarian cancer for at least five years.
However at present the same percentages do not relate to women diagnosed with more advanced stages of ovarian cancer. According to the East of England Cancer Registry (ECRIC), women diagnosed with stage III ovarian cancer (which includes the majority of women at 45%) have just over a 20% survival rate.
Dr James Brenton, ovarian cancer clinician at Cancer Research UK’s Cambridge Research Institute, said:
"These latest figures show improvements in treatment, such as centralisation of ovarian cancer surgery and uniform access to chemotherapy, are making a difference in helping more women survive ovarian cancer, particularly those who are diagnosed earlier. But we face a real challenge in translating these improvements in survival to women whose ovarian cancer has already spread."
Cancer Research UK are helping to fund the pivotal trial of ovarian cancer screening in an attempt to address the issue of late diagnosis. More than 200,000 women are participating in the nationwide trial which is testing the effectiveness of screening for ovarian cancer with ultrasounds and blood tests.
Ovarian cancer is the fifth most common cancer in the UK, with around 6,500 new cases diagnosed each year. However typically ovarian cancer develops without any clear symptoms and many women only discover they have it once it has spread.
