Ovarian cancer prognosis is based on various factors, including the stage of cancer, type and location, age, and response to treatment. Stage of cancer is the most important factor, with stage IV having the lowest survival rate. Five-year survival rates are used to predict the patient’s prognosis, with over 90% of women with ovarian-only cancer surviving five years.
The prognosis for ovarian cancer differs from patient to patient. Ovarian cancer is a particularly complex cancer that may not be diagnosed until late in its development, so doctors or other health care professionals must consider several factors when discussing the prognosis of ovarian cancer in an individual patient. For ovarian cancer, a good prognosis is made if the doctor thinks the cancer will likely respond well to treatment, but if the cancer may be difficult to control, the prognosis will be less favorable for the woman’s survival. Any prognosis, however, is simply a prediction or opinion, and a physician cannot be completely sure of the outlook for any individual patient; in fact, a prognosis could change if treatment is successful or if the cancer becomes more aggressive.
Some factors that a doctor, or oncologist, will be concerned with in making a prognosis are the patient’s stage of ovarian cancer, the type and location of the cancer, the woman’s age, other health conditions, and how responds to the treatment you undergo. In general, the stage of ovarian cancer that the woman has when she is diagnosed is the most important factor in making a prognosis for ovarian cancer. Other factors may be involved to some extent, but the stage of the cancer when it is first detected is by far the best predictor of the patient’s ovarian cancer prognosis. Medical researchers have identified four main stages of ovarian cancer.
In stage I, the cancer is limited to one or both ovaries. Stage II ovarian cancer means that the cancer has spread from the ovary but is confined to the pelvis, or below the belly button, and may have invaded the fallopian tubes or uterus. In stage III, the cancer has moved outside the pelvis and into the abdomen. A diagnosis of stage IV ovarian cancer means that the cancer has moved to the liver and possibly the area around the lungs.
Five-year survival rates are the standard used to give a patient a prognosis for ovarian cancer. This rate is simply the percentage of women who remain alive five years after being diagnosed. More than 90 percent of women diagnosed with ovarian-only cancer will be alive five years later. With stage II ovarian cancer, about 70% will survive the last five years. By comparison, of those diagnosed with stage III or IV, only 25% will live five years afterward.
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