Ovarian cancer statistics

Cases

New cases of ovarian cancer, 2016-2018, UK

Deaths

Deaths from ovarian cancer, 2017-2019, UK.

Survival

Survive ovarian cancer for 10 or more years, 2013-2017, England and Wales

Preventable cases

Ovarian cancer cases are preventable, UK, 2015

 

 

  • There are around 7,500 new ovarian cancer cases in the UK every year, that's 21 every day (2016-2018).
  • In females in the UK, ovarian cancer is the 6th most common cancer, with around 7,500 new cases every year (2016-2018).
  • Ovarian cancer accounts for 4% of all new cancer cases in females in the UK (2016-2018).
  • Ovarian cancer accounts for 2% of all new cancer cases in females and males combined in the UK (2016-2018).
  • Incidence rates for ovarian cancer in the UK are highest in females aged 75 to 79 (2016-2018).
  • Each year more than a quarter (28%) of all new ovarian cancer cases in the UK are diagnosed in females aged 75 and over (2016-2018).
  • Since the early 1990s, ovarian cancer incidence rates have remained stable in females in the UK (2016-2018).
  • Over the last decade, ovarian cancer incidence rates have decreased by a twentieth (5%) in females in the UK (2016-2018).
  • The most common specific location for ovarian cancers in the UK is the ovary itself (2016-2018).
  • See our new Early Diagnosis Data Hub for statistics on stage at diagnosis for ovarian cancer.
  • Ovarian cancer incidence rates are projected to rise by 5% in the UK between 2023-2025 and 2038-2040.
  • There could be around 9,400 new cases of ovarian cancer every year in the UK by 2038-2040, projections suggest.
  • Ovarian cancer incidence rates in England in females are similar in the most deprived quintile compared with the least (2013-2017).
  • Incidence rates for ovarian cancer are lower in the Asian and Black ethnic groups, and in people of mixed or multiple ethnicity, compared with the White ethnic group, in females in England (2013-2017). See our publication Cancer Incidence by Broad Ethnic Group for more details.
  • An estimated 41,000 women who had previously been diagnosed with ovarian cancer were alive in the UK at the end of 2010.

See more in-depth ovarian cancer incidence statistics

  • There are around 4,100 ovarian cancer deaths in the UK every year, that's 11 every day (2017-2019).
  • Ovarian cancer is the the 6th most common cause of cancer death in females in the UK, accounting for 5% of all cancer deaths in females in the UK (2017-2019).
  • Ovarian cancer accounts for 2% of all cancer deaths in females and males combined in the UK (2017-2019).
  • Mortality rates for ovarian cancer in the UK are highest in females aged 85 to 89 (2017-2019).
  • Each year almost half of all ovarian cancer deaths (45%) in the UK are in females aged 75 and over (2017-2019).
  • Since the early 1970s, ovarian cancer mortality rates have decreased by almost a quarter (23%) in females in the UK (2017-2019).
  • Over the last decade, ovarian cancer mortality rates have decreased by almost a sixth (16%) in females in the UK (2017-2019).
  • Mortality rates for ovarian cancer are generally similar or lower in females of non-White minority ethnicity, compared with the White ethnic group, in England and Wales (2017-2019). See the publication Mortality from leading causes of death by ethnic group, England and Wales.
  • Ovarian cancer mortality rates are projected to fall by 15% in the UK between 2023-2025 and 2038-2040.
  • There could be around around 4,100 deaths of ovarian cancer every year in the UK by 2038-2040, projections suggest.
  • Ovarian cancer in England is not associated with deprivation.

See more in-depth ovarian cancer mortality statistics

  • More than 7 in 10 (71.7%) of women diagnosed with ovarian cancer in England survive their disease for one year or more (2013-2017).
  • More than 4 in 10 (42.6%) of women diagnosed with ovarian cancer in England survive their disease for five years or more (2013-2017).
  • It is predicted that more than 1 in 3 (35.3%) of women diagnosed with ovarian cancer in England survive their disease for ten years or more (2013-2017).
  • Ovarian cancer survival in England is highest for women diagnosed aged under 40 years old (2009-2013).
  • Almost 9 in 10 women in England diagnosed with ovarian cancer aged 15-39 survive their disease for five years or more, compared with a fifth of women diagnosed aged 80 and over (2009-2013).
  • Ovarian cancer survival is improving and has almost doubled in the last 40 years in the UK.
  • In the 1970s, less than a fifth of women diagnosed with ovarian cancer survived their disease beyond ten years, now it's more than a third.
  • When diagnosed at its earliest stage, almost all (98%) people with ovarian cancer will survive their disease for one year or more, compared with more than 1 in 2 (54%) people when the disease is diagnosed at the latest stage.
  • When diagnosed at its earliest stage, more than 9 in 10 (93%) people with ovarian cancer will survive their disease for five years or more, compared with almost 3 in 20 (13%) people when the disease is diagnosed at the latest stage.
  • Five-year relative survival for ovarian cancer in women is below the European average in England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland.

See more in-depth ovarian cancer survival statistics

  • A person’s risk of developing cancer depends on many factors, including age, genetics, and exposure to risk factors (including some potentially avoidable lifestyle factors).
  • 1 in 50 UK females will be diagnosed with ovarian cancer in their lifetime
  • 11% of ovarian cancer cases in the UK are preventable.

See more in-depth ovarian cancer risk statistics

  • 'Two-week wait’ standards are met by all countries, ‘31-day wait’ is met by all but Northern Ireland and Wales, and ’62-day wait’ is met by all but Wales, Northern Ireland and only partly by Scotland for gynaecological cancers.
  • 64% of patients diagnosed with ovarian cancer have surgery to remove the tumour as part of their primary cancer treatment.
  • 2% of patients diagnosed with ovarian cancer have radiotherapy as part of their primary cancer treatment.
  • 54% of patients diagnosed with ovarian cancer have chemotherapy as part of their primary cancer treatment.
See more in-depth ovarian treatment statistics

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Acknowledgements

We are grateful to the many organisations across the UK which collect, analyse, and share the data which we use, and to the patients and public who consent for their data to be used. Find out more about the sources which are essential for our statistics.