More Australian women are surviving ovarian cancer, but still
more than half of those diagnosed today will not survive five
years, says the latest national report on ovarian cancer released
today by the National Breast Cancer Centre (NBCC) and the
Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW).
According to the report, Ovarian cancer in Australia: an
overview, 2006, almost 1,500 new cases of ovarian cancer are
projected to be diagnosed in Australia this year. There were 851
deaths due to ovarian cancer in 2004.
Mr John Harding of the AIHW's Cancer Monitoring Unit said,
'Overall 42% of women diagnosed with ovarian cancer today can
expect to be living five years after their diagnosis compared to
34% of women diagnosed in the period 1982-1986.
Dr Helen Zorbas, Director of the National Breast Cancer Centre,
which incorporates the Ovarian Cancer Program, said, 'The most
significant improvements in survival in the past ten years have
occurred in women aged 40 to 69 years.'
Additionally, the report shows that, unlike some other cancers,
ovarian cancer generally has a more favourable outlook for younger
women, with 63 per cent of women aged 40 to 49 years now surviving
five years after their diagnosis compared with 45 per cent in the
period 1982-1986.
'The challenge remains that ovarian cancer is difficult to
detect in its early stages because the symptoms are vague and
common. For this reason, seven out of ten women with ovarian cancer
will be diagnosed at an advanced stage when the cancer has spread
and is difficult to treat,' Dr Helen Zorbas said.
'While research is ongoing, there is currently no screening test
for ovarian cancer so it is important that women see their GP
promptly about any unusual or persistent changes in their
bodies.'
Symptoms that may be due to ovarian cancer include abdominal
bloating, unexplained weight gain or weight loss, changes in bowel
or bladder habits, abdominal or pelvic pain, unusual fatigue and
indigestion.
The rate of incidence of ovarian cancer in each age group
remained unchanged at 12 to 13 new cases per 100,000 women from
1983 to 2002, but ageing of the population increased the number of
cases diagnosed from 862 in 1983 to 1,273 in 2002.
In contrast the death rate declined from 8.8 deaths per 100,000
people in 1983 to 7.5 per 100,000 in 2004, with a low of 7.1 per
100,000 in 2003.
Ovarian cancer incidence and mortality rates in Australia in
2002 were significantly lower than those experienced by women
living in the United Kingdom, New Zealand, Canada and the United
States of America.
22 November 2006
Further information: Mr John Harding, AIHW,
tel. 02 6244 1140, or mob. 0427 107 033. To interview Dr Helen
Zorbas, NBCC, contact Bree Stevens 0438 209 833.
For media copies of the report: Publications
Officer, AIHW, tel. 61 2 6244 1032.
Availability: Check the AIHW Publications
Catalogue for availability of the Ovarian cancer in
Australia: an overview, 2006 report.