Incidence
- Ovarian cancer is the 8th most common cancer diagnosed in Australian women.
- The present life expectancy of Australian women is 83 years. One in 67 women will be diagnosed with ovarian cancer before the age of 85.
- In Australia in 2002, a total of 1,273 women were diagnosed with ovarian cancer. It is projected that there will be 1,465 new cases of ovarian cancer in 2006 and 1,645 in 2011.
- The age-standardised incidence rate of ovarian cancer has remained stable at 12-13 new cases per 100,000 females from 1983 to 2002.
- The risk of ovarian cancer increases with age. About 80% of all new cases of ovarian cancer diagnosed in 2002 were in women 50 years or older. The median age of first diagnosis is 64 years.
Mortality
- Ovarian cancer is the 6th most common cause of cancer death in Australian women.
- A total of 851 women died from ovarian cancer in Australia in 2004.
- The age-standardised mortality rate of ovarian cancer has decreased from 8.8 per 100,000 in 1983 and to 7.5 deaths per 100,000 in 2004.
Survival
- The five year relative survival rate for Australian women with ovarian cancer during 1998-2002 was 42.1 per cent, compared with 34.3 per cent in 1982-86.
Prevalence
- There were 7,330 women alive in 2002 diagnosed with ovarian cancer during the previous 20 years.
