Approximate Five Year Survival by Stages
(Corrected to exclude death from intercurrent disease.)
It should be noted that these figures are approximations of five-year survival data collected from large numbers of patients within a given stage. Extreme caution should be used in attempting to use these data to assign prognosis in an individual case.
Ovary/ Fallopian Tube
- Low Risk: >95%
- Moderate Risk: 80%
- High Risk: 75%
- Extreme Risk: 20%
Common Errors in the Diagnosis and Management of Ovarian Cancer
- Failure to perform a complete history and physical examination
- Over-reliance on diagnostic examinations and under-reliance on clinical suspicion and physical findings
- Failure to perform a pelvic examination as part of the initial assessment
Site Specific Errors
Pelvic examination should precede the battery of expensive investigations rather than be done only when a mass has been detected.
When patients are being followed with ultrasound and tumour markers, a clear plan of action should be in place. Patient delays for surgery have occurred because of misunderstanding the criteria for follow-up.
In general, aspiration is not recommended for the diagnosis of ovarian masses. This may result in the patient's stage being raised resulting in potentially more morbid treatment.
Tumour markers should be done preoperatively in all cases where malignancy is suspected. If malignancy is a surprise finding, then these investigations should be done as soon as possible following the surgery (i.e., a blood sample in the recovery room). This may give valuable information in planning patient treatment and follow-up.