Ovarian Cancer Facts & Figures in Brief
Ovarian Cancer Still Causes More Deaths Than Any Other Gynecologic Cancer
Each year, the American Cancer Society’s Surveillance & Health Equity Science team analyzes data on cancer in the United States, including ovarian cancers, as part of its Cancer Facts & Figures report. The process is led by Rebecca Siegel, MPH.
Siegel's team estimates for 2022 in the US include:
- About 19,880 new cases of ovarian cancer will be diagnosed in 2022. Ovarian cancer is rare in women younger than 40. Most ovarian cancers develop after menopause, and half of all ovarian cancers are found in women age 63 or older.
- Most (about 90%) will be diagnosed with epithelial ovarian cancer, which has the fewest known risk factors and the worst prognosis.
- About 12,810 women will die from ovarian cancer in 2022. Ovarian cancer is responsible for more cancer deaths than any other gynecologic cancer.
Women with a higher risk of ovarian cancer include those with
- A strong family history of breast or ovarian cancer
- An inherited BRCA1 or BRCA2 gene mutation or Lynch syndrome
Other medical conditions and characteristics associated with a risk for developing ovarian cancer are personal history of:
- Breast cancer
- Endometriosis
- Pelvic inflammatory disease
- Excess body weight (4% of ovarian cancer cases are attributed to excess body weight)
Find more statistics about ovarian cancer on the Cancer Statistics Center:
- Estimated new cases and deaths by state
- Historical trends in incidence rates
- Historical trends in death rates
- 5-year survival rates
Use the analysis tool in the drop-down menu to see any of these statistics in comparison to other types of cancer.
ACS Cancer Prevention Studies
The American Cancer Society's Population Science department includes scientists who work with our large, on-going cancer prevention studies (CPS), such as CPS-II and CPS-3.
CPS Volunteers Provide Info About Biology, Activities, and Behaviors that Increase and Decrease the Risk of Ovarian Cancer
Alpa Patel, PhD, Lauren Teras, PhD, and other American Cancer Society (ACS) epidemiologists have used data collected in our Cancer Prevention Study II (CPS-II) for several published research projects. Here are some of their findings.
Of women in the CPS-II study:
- Those who sit for 6 hours or more a day during leisure time (not at work) have a higher risk of ovarian cancer, and cancer in general, compared with those who sit fewer than 3 hours a day.
- Moderate to vigorous exercise, and specifically walking, does not seem to reduce the risk of ovarian cancer.
- The risk for ovarian cancer increases 25% for every 5 years of estrogen-only hormone replacement therapy after menopause (when therapy does not include progestin). When estrogen-only hormone replacement therapy is used for 20 years or more, the risk for ovarian cancer is nearly 3 times higher.
- Those who have a rotating shift-work schedule have a higher risk of dying from ovarian cancer than those who don’t.
The ACS’s CPS-II Nutrition Cohort is part of the Collaborative Group on Epidemiological Studies of Ovarian Cancer. This group helped establish the increased risk for ovarian cancer in women with excess body weight and the decreased risk of ovarian cancer for women who use oral contraceptives.
Using blood samples collected from CPS-II and CPS-3, ACS investigators are collaborating with Ovarian Cancer Cohort Consortium (OC3) investigators to find biomarkers that identify early signs of ovarian cancer and to find information about risk factors that is hard to capture through questionnaires.
ACS epidemiologists also actively study how to identify inherited genetic mutations that increase a woman’s risk for ovarian cancer and novel work on biomarkers for early detection of ovarian cancer.
Spotlight on ACS Ovarian Cancer Research Publications
The American Cancer Society (ACS) employs a staff of full-time researchers and funds scientists across the United States who relentlessly search for answers to help us better understand cancer, including ovarian cancer. Here are some highlights of their work.
Researchers Study Fallopian Tube Cells from Cancer-Free Women to Learn More About the Origin of Ovarian Cancer
“We still have a lot to learn about the fallopian tube and its role in ovarian cancer development and, potentially, prevention. We used a new technology to profile the genes expressed in individual cells in the fallopian tube to identify if a specific subset of cells are the likely cells-of-origin for the most common subtype of ovarian tumors, high-grade serous epithelial cancers.
”We found a lot of heterogeneity within the epithelium of the fallopian tube, including a population of cells that share molecular features with advanced tumors, suggesting they may be the main cell precursors of high-grade serous tumors.
“Importantly, our results were consistent with another study that was recently published by the Ahmed laboratory in the UK. Our hope is that in the long-term we can use these data to develop new strategies for cancer prevention or early detection.” —Kate Lawrenson, PhD
See the highlight about Dr. Lawrenson's published study.
Researchers Try Using Teeny Nanoparticles to Deliver Drugs to Metastasized Ovarian Cancers in Mice
“Researchers have explored nanoparticles as a vehicle to deliver anti-cancer drugs to solid tumors. They’re mostly injected intravenously, and they’re able to accumulate in tumors by taking advantage of the leakiness of the blood vessels surrounding the tumors. However, typically less than 1% of an injected dose reaches the tumors.
“To treat ovarian tumors growing in the abdominal space in mice, my lab team administered nanoparticles directly into this cavity and discovered that the majority of the nanoparticles ended up on the tumor’s surface because of the way they interacted with the structures that surround the tumor cells, called the extracellular matrix. We demonstrated that collagen plays a major role in facilitating this interaction.” —Xiuling Lu, PhD
See the highlight about Dr. Lu's published study.
Research and Training Grants in Ovarian Cancer
The American Cancer Society funds scientists and medical professionals who study cancer. We also fund health professional training grants for nurses, social workers, and doctors to help advance their education and experience in cancer research.