The American Cancer Society estimates that approximately 1 in 58 women in the US (or 1.7 percent ) will develop ovarian cancer over the course of their lives.
This translates to approximately 25,580 women developing ovarian cancer and 16,000 women dying as a result of their disease in the year 2004.Ovarian cancer accounts for 4 percent of all cancers in women. Her lifetime chance of dying from ovarian cancer is around 1 percent (or 1 in 98). The risk of developing and dying from ovarian cancer is higher for white women than black women.
As is the case with most cancers, ovarian cancer risk increases with age. The highest rates of ovarian cancer occur in women over age 60.The second most important risk factor is having European or North American ancestry.
It's important to keep in mind that the statistics above apply to the general population. There are a number of risk factors — both environmental and genetic — that determine each woman's individual risk for ovarian cancer.
For example, women of Ashkenazi Jewish ancestry are thought to be at an increased risk for ovarian cancer, as a result of their genetic heritage. Up to 40 percent of ovarian cancers in Ashkenazi Jewish women are thought to be inherited.
References:
Baker, T. R. and M. S. Piver. 1994. Etiology, biology, and epidemiology of ovarian cancer. Semin Surg Oncol 10(4): 242-8.
Cannistra, S. A. 2004. Cancer of the ovary. N Engl J Med. 351:2519-2529.
Daly, M. and G. I. Obrams. 1998. Epidemiology and risk assessment for ovarian cancer. Semin Oncol 25(3): 255-64.
Data, A. C. S. 2004. Data from the American Cancer Society website. www.cancer.org
Fitch, M. I., R. E. Gray, et al. 1999. Gynecologists' perspectives regarding ovarian cancer. Cancer Prev Control 3(1): 68-76.
Gayther, S. A., J. Mangion, et al. 1997. Variation of risks of breast and ovarian cancer associated with different germline mutations of the BRCA2 gene. Nat Genet 15(1): 103-5.
Ozools RF, R. S., Thoma G, et al. 1997. Epithelial Ovarian Cancer. Philadelphia, Lippincott-Raven.
Stratton, J. F., S. A. Gayther, et al. 1997. Contribution of BRCA1 mutations to ovarian cancer. N Engl J Med 336(16): 1125-30.
