Healthline, a leading online medical and wellness website, recently interviewed Dr K about the survival rate for stage 4 ovarian cancer.
In the United States, ovarian cancer is the 5th leading cause of cancer-related death among women. Ovarian cancer is a type of cancer that grows in the ovaries.
Survival rate is a term that is used to define the percentage of people with the same type and stage of cancer who are still alive after a certain time-period following diagnosis.
So while it might offer some sense of how long one might live post diagnosis, this percentage cannot predict how long a particular individual might live. Stage 4 is where the cancer has spread to other organs and areas of the body. Complicating the picture for women who might be diagnosed with ovarian cancer is that there are various types of ovarian cancer with differing outcomes and treatment plans. Treatment plans should be tailored to the individual by your oncologist, but can include surgery, chemotherapy, targeted therapy, or a combination of these treatment types.
There are some key factors influencing the survival rate, DrK said. “In general, the younger the patient, the better they’re able to withstand the stress that cancer takes on the body.” Along with age, other factors that affect survival rate for stage 4 ovarian cancer are the treatment type, the existence of other conditions, and overall health.
You can read the full article here.
Image: - a teal ribbon is the color associated with ovarian cancer.
