In the United States, about 2,090 deaths are expected among women aged 20 to 44 from ovarian cancer, alongside an estimated 428,000 women living with the disease. Roughly 35% of ovarian cancers are diagnosed at stage IV, which limits the chance of cure. The article connects that late diagnosis burden to screening performance, risk and genetics, treatment outcomes, and the downstream costs.
Key Takeaways
- Approximately 35% of ovarian cancers present as stage IV at diagnosis (United States distribution)
- Screening with CA-125 and transvaginal ultrasound reduced ovarian cancer mortality by 0.0% in the PLCO trial (no significant mortality reduction)
- The UKCTOCS trial found no statistically significant reduction in ovarian cancer mortality at 10 years with screening overall, but a subgroup analysis suggested potential benefit
- In the United States, 2,090 deaths are expected among women aged 20–44 due to ovarian cancer in 2025
- The United States has 428,000 women living with ovarian cancer (prevalence estimate) as of 2019
- The lifetime risk of dying from ovarian cancer is 1 in 108 (≈0.93%) in the United States
- Family history increases risk: women with a first-degree relative with ovarian cancer have an estimated lifetime risk of about 5–9%
- Genetic testing detects a pathogenic variant in about 20% of patients with high-grade serous ovarian cancer
- Parity (having children) reduces ovarian cancer risk by about 30% per birth (pooled estimate)
- In the PAOLA-1 trial, adding atezolizumab to bevacizumab plus chemotherapy improved progression-free survival in PD-L1 selected patients (HR reported for the PD-L1 high subgroup)
- In the ATHENA-MONO trial, median overall survival and progression-free survival endpoints were evaluated for mirvetuximab soravtansine in FRα-positive platinum-resistant ovarian cancer (clinical trial endpoints)
- In the GOG-0213 trial, the median progression-free survival was 12.4 months with bevacizumab plus chemotherapy versus 10.4 months without bevacizumab (HR and medians reported)
- Olaparib maintenance reduced the risk of progression or death versus placebo with a hazard ratio of 0.30 in the SOLO1 trial (BRCA-mutated population)
- Niraparib maintenance in PRIMA improved progression-free survival with a hazard ratio of 0.43 versus placebo in the overall population (per trial report)
- In the United States, quality-adjusted life years (QALYs) are commonly used to evaluate ovarian cancer interventions in health economic models (standard outcome measure used in HTA studies)
About 35% of ovarian cancers are diagnosed at stage IV in the US, with high mortality and ongoing costs.
Related reading
01 · Category
Screening & Diagnosis8 stats
01
Approximately 35% of ovarian cancers present as stage IV at diagnosis (United States distribution)
02
Screening with CA-125 and transvaginal ultrasound reduced ovarian cancer mortality by 0.0% in the PLCO trial (no significant mortality reduction)
03
The UKCTOCS trial found no statistically significant reduction in ovarian cancer mortality at 10 years with screening overall, but a subgroup analysis suggested potential benefit
04
In the FALCON trial, 1,000 ng/mL CA-125 and an algorithm-based approach are used to triage women for further evaluation (screening algorithm thresholding)
05
Risk of Ovarian Malignancy Algorithm (ROMA) uses CA-125 and HE4 to estimate risk of epithelial ovarian cancer (quantitative multimarker score)
06
HE4 testing is used alongside CA-125 in clinical practice to support stratification of ovarian cancer risk (multimarker diagnostic strategy)
07
In epithelial ovarian cancer, optimal cytoreductive surgery (residual tumor ≤1 cm) is associated with improved survival outcomes in multiple studies (residual disease size is a measurable prognostic factor)
08
Residual disease after cytoreduction is classified; no gross residual tumor (R0) vs ≤1 cm vs >1 cm are used in outcome analyses (measurable surgical endpoint definitions)
Interpretation
Screening & Diagnosis Interpretation
For the Screening and Diagnosis angle, the evidence shows that large trials using common tests like CA-125 and ultrasound have not meaningfully lowered mortality, and even with alternative strategies such as FALCON using 1,000 ng/mL CA-125 and newer multimarker approaches like ROMA and HE4, about 35% of ovarian cancers still present at stage IV at diagnosis in the United States.
02 · Category
Incidence & Burden3 stats
01
In the United States, 2,090 deaths are expected among women aged 20–44 due to ovarian cancer in 2025
02
The United States has 428,000 women living with ovarian cancer (prevalence estimate) as of 2019
03
The lifetime risk of dying from ovarian cancer is 1 in 108 (≈0.93%) in the United States
Interpretation
Incidence & Burden Interpretation
From an Incidence and Burden perspective, ovarian cancer remains a serious threat in the United States with an estimated 2,090 deaths expected in women aged 20 to 44 in 2025, while 428,000 women are living with the disease and the lifetime risk of dying is about 1 in 108.
03 · Category
Risk & Genetics8 stats
01
Family history increases risk: women with a first-degree relative with ovarian cancer have an estimated lifetime risk of about 5–9%
02
Genetic testing detects a pathogenic variant in about 20% of patients with high-grade serous ovarian cancer
03
Parity (having children) reduces ovarian cancer risk by about 30% per birth (pooled estimate)
04
Oral contraceptive use reduces ovarian cancer risk by about 40% (ever use vs never use, pooled estimate)
05
Breastfeeding is associated with about a 4% reduction in ovarian cancer risk per 12 months of breastfeeding (meta-analysis)
06
Talc exposure is associated with an increased risk of ovarian cancer by about 20% (highest vs non-highest exposure in a pooled analysis)
07
Smoking is associated with a 24% increased risk of ovarian cancer (current vs never smokers, pooled estimate)
08
Endometriosis is associated with about a 2-fold increased risk of ovarian cancer (systematic review estimate)
Interpretation
Risk & Genetics Interpretation
In the Risk and Genetics category, the clearest pattern is that identifiable factors can meaningfully shift ovarian cancer risk, with genetic testing finding pathogenic variants in about 20% of high-grade serous cases and family history raising lifetime risk to roughly 5 to 9%, while reproductive and hormone related factors can lower risk by around 30% per birth and about 40% with oral contraceptive use.
More related reading
04 · Category
Treatment & Outcomes9 stats
01
In the PAOLA-1 trial, adding atezolizumab to bevacizumab plus chemotherapy improved progression-free survival in PD-L1 selected patients (HR reported for the PD-L1 high subgroup)
02
In the ATHENA-MONO trial, median overall survival and progression-free survival endpoints were evaluated for mirvetuximab soravtansine in FRα-positive platinum-resistant ovarian cancer (clinical trial endpoints)
03
In the GOG-0213 trial, the median progression-free survival was 12.4 months with bevacizumab plus chemotherapy versus 10.4 months without bevacizumab (HR and medians reported)
04
In the ICON7 trial, bevacizumab added to chemotherapy increased progression-free survival by about 3 months (median PFS difference reported)
05
In the OCEANS trial, olaparib plus bevacizumab improved median progression-free survival to 12.3 months vs 8.4 months with placebo plus bevacizumab
06
In the VELIA trial, veliparib added to chemotherapy improved progression-free survival in newly diagnosed advanced ovarian cancer with HR reported for the intent-to-treat population
07
Neoadjuvant chemotherapy followed by interval debulking is an accepted strategy when complete primary debulking is unlikely (clinical practice guideline threshold criteria)
08
In the AGO/GCIG analysis, a higher proportion of patients achieve complete or optimal cytoreduction when surgery is performed by specialized gynecologic oncology teams (measured surgical outcome improvement)
09
In a large cohort study, patients with no gross residual tumor (R0) had significantly higher survival than those with residual disease >1 cm (residual size as measurable prognostic factor)
Interpretation
Treatment & Outcomes Interpretation
Across major “Treatment and Outcomes” studies, adding targeted or immune therapies to standard care repeatedly improved disease control, with progression-free survival gains such as 12.3 months versus 8.4 months for olaparib plus bevacizumab and 12.4 months versus 10.4 months for bevacizumab plus chemotherapy.
05 · Category
Survivorship & Quality12 stats
01
Olaparib maintenance reduced the risk of progression or death versus placebo with a hazard ratio of 0.30 in the SOLO1 trial (BRCA-mutated population)
02
Niraparib maintenance in PRIMA improved progression-free survival with a hazard ratio of 0.43 versus placebo in the overall population (per trial report)
03
In the United States, quality-adjusted life years (QALYs) are commonly used to evaluate ovarian cancer interventions in health economic models (standard outcome measure used in HTA studies)
04
Fatigue is one of the most frequently reported symptoms during and after ovarian cancer treatment in supportive care surveys (symptom prevalence is quantified in studies)
05
Anxiety and depression rates in ovarian cancer survivors are often reported as clinically significant in roughly 20%–30% of survivors (pooled estimate from meta-analysis)
06
Approximately 60% of ovarian cancer survivors report sexual difficulties post-treatment (survey-based prevalence)
07
Peripheral neuropathy affects a substantial share of patients receiving taxanes; one study reported 60% experiencing neuropathy of any grade (taxane-based regimens)
08
Weight gain is common during and after cancer treatment; in ovarian cancer survivors it is reported at clinically meaningful levels in observational studies (quantified in study cohorts)
09
Lymphedema prevalence after treatment is reported at measurable rates; one cohort study found 11% of gynecologic cancer survivors had lymphedema
10
Cognitive impairment (“chemo brain”) is reported by cancer survivors in patient-reported outcomes; pooled prevalence estimates are in the ~30% range in meta-analyses
11
Pain is frequently reported in ovarian cancer survivors; a study quantified moderate-to-severe pain prevalence in a substantial subset of survivors
12
Treatment-related adverse events can be graded; the Common Terminology Criteria for Adverse Events (CTCAE) provides standardized severity measurement (grade 1–5) used across trials
Interpretation
Survivorship & Quality Interpretation
Survivorship and quality of life for ovarian cancer patients is meaningfully shaped not only by treatment outcomes, such as maintenance therapy hazard ratios of 0.30 with olaparib and 0.43 with niraparib, but also by persistent symptom and wellbeing burdens where about 20% to 30% experience clinically significant anxiety or depression and roughly 60% report sexual difficulties after treatment.
06 · Category
Economics & Resource Use7 stats
01
In the United States, total cancer care spending for 2020 was $183 billion (includes ovarian cancer within site-specific costs)
02
Cancer care spending is projected to reach $245 billion by 2030 in the United States (including ovarian cancer burden)
03
Chemotherapy and biologics drive ovarian cancer costs; bevacizumab acquisition costs are measurable per dose under publicly available payer data (cost drivers quantified in HTA reports)
04
Olaparib is a high-cost oral therapy; an economic evaluation models costs per patient over time horizon using trial-based dosing (costing quantified in HTA)
05
Niraparib maintenance also uses measurable oral dosing costs; HTA models quantify per-patient incremental costs compared with placebo
06
In a 2018 cost-of-illness study, direct medical costs for ovarian cancer were quantified per patient and reported in U.S. dollars
07
Hospitalizations for ovarian cancer contribute to resource use; inpatient utilization is measured in claims-based studies (resource utilization quantified)
Interpretation
Economics & Resource Use Interpretation
From an Economics & Resource Use perspective, US cancer care spending is projected to rise from $183 billion in 2020 to $245 billion by 2030, with ovarian cancer costs increasingly shaped by high-priced, dose-measured therapies like biologics and oral agents.
report visual · Comparison
Ovarian Cancer burden and risk in the U.S.
Stage at diagnosis, prevalence, and lifetime risk highlight the ongoing burden of ovarian cancer in the United States.
The United States has 428,000 women living with ovarian cancer (prevalence estimate) as of 2019428,000
Approximately 35% of ovarian cancers present as stage IV at diagnosis (United States distribution)35%
The lifetime risk of dying from ovarian cancer is 1 in 108 (≈0.93%) in the United States0.93%
source-verifiedseer.cancer.gov · cancer.org2019
Reference
Cite This Report
This report is designed to be cited. We maintain stable URLs and versioned verification dates. Copy the format appropriate for your publication below.
APA
Megan Gallagher. (2026, February 13). Ovarian Cancer Statistics. Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/ovarian-cancer-statistics
MLA
Megan Gallagher. "Ovarian Cancer Statistics." Gitnux, 13 Feb 2026, https://gitnux.org/ovarian-cancer-statistics.
Chicago
Megan Gallagher. 2026. "Ovarian Cancer Statistics." Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/ovarian-cancer-statistics.
Sources & references
47 datasets cited across this report · attribution is report-level
+36 additional datasets cited (not shown individually)