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Ovarian Cancer Statistics

Related Information: Compare by Race and Ethnicity, Compare by State

Among women in the United States, ovarian cancer is the eighth most common cancer and the fifth leading cause of cancer death, after lung and bronchus, breast, colorectal, and pancreatic cancers.*¹ Ovarian cancer causes more deaths than any other cancer of the female reproductive system.¹ Ovarian cancer incidence (new cases) and mortality (deaths) rates are higher among Caucasian women than for women of any other racial group.¹

According to the U.S. Cancer Statistics: 2005 Incidence and Mortality Web-based report, 19,842 women in the U.S. learned they had ovarian cancer in 2005,^† and 14,787 women died from the disease.¹ It is estimated that more than $2.2 billion^‡ is spent on the treatment of ovarian cancer per year in the U.S.²

The number of women in the U.S. who develop or die from ovarian cancer each year varies by state. Find more information about ovarian cancer rates by state.

Statistical Trends

The rates for new ovarian cancer cases (incidence) have decreased or remained level for all ethnic groups, as follows:³

• 2.4% decrease per year from 2001 to 2005 among all women.^†
• 1.8% decrease per year from 1996 to 2005 among white women.**
• 1.5% decrease per year from 1996 to 2005 among Asian/Pacific Islander women.
• No change from 1996 to 2005 among African-American and Hispanic women.**

The rates for ovarian cancer deaths (mortality) have remained level for all ethnic groups, as follows:³

• No change from 2002 to 2005^† among all women.**
• No change from 1996 to 2005 among white, African-American, Asian/Pacific Islander, American Indian/Alaska Native, and Hispanic women.**

Find more information about ovarian cancer rates by race and ethnicity.

*Incidence counts cover approximately 96 percent of the U.S. population. Mortality counts cover 100 percent of the U.S. population. Use caution in comparing incidence and mortality counts.
^†The most recent year for which statistics are available.
^‡Cost is in 2004 dollars.
**Any changes in the rates recorded for these groups were not statistically significant.

References

1. U.S. Cancer Statistics Working Group. United States Cancer Statistics: 1999–2005 Incidence and Mortality Web-based Report. Atlanta (GA): Department of Health and Human Services, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and National Cancer Institute; 2009. Available at: http://www.cdc.gov/uscs.
2. Brown ML, Riley GF, Schussler N, Etzioni RD. Estimated health care costs related to cancer treatment from SEER-Medicare data. Medical Care 2002;40(8 Supplement)IV:104–117.
3. Jemal A, Thun MJ, Ries LA, Howe HL, Weir HK, Center MM, Ward E, Wu XC, Eheman C, Anderson R, Ajani UA, Kohler B, Edwards BK. Annual report to the nation on the status of cancer, 1975–2005, featuring trends in lung cancer, tobacco use, and tobacco control. Journal of the National Cancer Institute 2008;100(23):1672–1694.