Ovarian cancer
The terms 1 year survival and 5 year survival don't mean that you will only live for 1 or 5 years.
The NHS, other health organisations, and researchers collect information. They record what happens to people with cancer in the years after their diagnosis. 5 years is a common time point to measure survival. But some people live much longer than this.
5 year survival is the number of people who have not died from their cancer within 5 years after diagnosis.
There are no UK-wide statistics available for ovarian cancer survival by stage.
Survival statistics are available for each stage of ovarian cancer in England. These figures are for people diagnosed between 2016 and 2020.
95 out of 100 women (95%) will survive their cancer for 5 years or more after they are diagnosed.
More than 70 out of 100 women (more than 70%) will survive their cancer for 5 years or more after being diagnosed.
More than 30 out of 100 women (more than 30%) will survive their cancer for 5 years or more after they are diagnosed.
Around 15 out of 100 women (around 15%) will survive their cancer for 5 years or more after they are diagnosed.
The UK survival statistics come from England and Wales. Scotland and Northern Ireland have a similar population and health care system. So we can apply these survival statistics to the whole of the UK.
Generally for women with ovarian cancer in the UK:
almost 80 out of every 100 (almost 80%) survive their cancer for 1 year or more
more than 50 out of every 100 (more than 50%) survive their cancer for 5 years or more
around 40 out of every 100 (around 40%) survive their cancer for 10 years or more
Your outcome depends on the stage of the cancer when it was diagnosed. This means how big it is, whether it has spread and where it has spread to.
The type and grade of ovarian cancer affects your likely survival. Grade means how abnormal the cells look under the microscope.
Your likely survival is also affected by whether the surgeon can remove all the cancer during initial surgery.
Your general health and fitness may also affect survival. Doctors have a way of grading how well you are. This is called performance status. Those with a good performance status have a better outlook.
Age also affects outcome and survival is better for younger people.
For more in-depth information about survival and other statistics for ovarian cancer, go to our Cancer Statistics section.
Last reviewed: 28 Nov 2024
Next review due: 29 Nov 2027
Ovarian cancer is when abnormal cells in the ovary grow and divide in an uncontrolled way.
The stage tells you how big your cancer is and whether it has spread. The grade means how abnormal the cells look under the microscope.
Most ovarian cancers start in the cells covering the ovaries and are called epithelial ovarian cancers. Other rare types include germ cell tumours, stromal tumours and sarcomas.
The main treatments for ovarian cancer are surgery and chemotherapy. Your treatment depends on several factors including your cancer stage and grade.
There is support available to help you cope with a diagnosis of ovarian cancer, life during treatment and life after cancer.
Ovarian cancer is when abnormal cells in the ovary, fallopian tube or peritoneum begin to grow and divide in an uncontrolled way.
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