Cancer Australia

Updated 30^th January 2012

Incidence

• Ovarian cancer is the 9th most common cancer diagnosed in Australian women, and the second most commonly diagnosed gynaecological cancer.¹
• The number of women diagnosed with ovarian cancer in Australia increased from 835 in 1982 to 1,272 in 2008.²
• An estimated 1,488 women are expected to be diagnosed with ovarian cancer in Australian in 2015.³
• One in 79 women will be diagnosed with ovarian cancer before the age of 85.²
• The risk of ovarian cancer increases with age. About 82% of all new cases of ovarian cancer diagnosed in 2008 were in women 50 years or older.²
• The average age of first diagnosis is 63 years.¹
• The age-standardised incidence rate of ovarian cancer has decreased. In 1982 the incidence rate was 12.5 compared with 10.6 in 2008.²

Mortality

• Ovarian cancer is the 7^th most common cause of cancer death in Australian women.¹
• A total of 848 women died from ovarian cancer in Australia in 2007.¹
• The age-standardised mortality rate of ovarian cancer has decreased from 8.8 per 100,000 in 1982 to 7.0 deaths per 100,000 in 2007.²
• A woman’s risk of dying from ovarian cancer before the age of 85 has been declining, from 1 in 87 risk in 1982 to a 1 in 106 risk in 2007.²

Survival

• The five year relative survival rate for Australian women with ovarian cancer has increased significantly, from 33% in 1982-1987 to 40% in 2000-2006.⁴

Prevalence

• It is estimated that in 2006 there were 8,216 women alive who had been diagnosed with ovarian cancer in the previous 25 years.⁴

Burden of disease

• Ovarian cancer was the 4^th leading cancer cause of burden of disease for females accounting for 12,900 disability-adjusted life years (DALYs) in 2010.¹

References

1. Australian Institute of Health and Welfare & Australasian Association of Cancer Registries 2010. Cancer in Australia: an overview, 2010. Cancer series no. 60. Cat. no. CAN 56. Canberra: AIHW
2. Australian Institute of Health and Welfare 2011. ACIM (Australian Cancer Incidence and Mortality) Books. AIHW: Canberra
3. Australian Institute of Health and Welfare 2010. Gynaecological cancer projections 2010-2015. Cancer series no. 53. Cat. no. CAN 49. Canberra AIHW.
4. Australian Institute of Health and Welfare & National Breast and Ovarian Cancer Centre 2010. Ovarian Cancer in Australia: an overview, 2010. Cancer series no. 52. Cat. no. 48. Canberra: AIHW.