Purpose: We aimed to monitor recent progress in survival of patients with ovarian cancer.
Methods: We assessed trends in survival in 1976-1995 among patients notified to the population-based cancer registry of Saarland, Germany, with a first diagnosis of ovarian cancer below the age of 80 years. A new statistical methodology was applied that allows the most timely detection of changes in survival rates.
Results: There was a dramatic, ongoing increase in 5-year relative survival rates from 36.6% in 1976-1980 to 60.1% in 1991-1995 among patients whose cancer was detected below the age of 55 years, and from 23.7% to 42.9% in patients aged 55-64 years at the time of diagnosis. No such improvement was seen among older patients, who continued to have a very poor prognosis. Therefore, the variation of prognosis with age was strongly increasing over time.
Conclusions: Improvement of prognosis in younger patients most likely reflects the benefits of more aggressive surgery and chemotherapy in these age groups. Efforts should be made to overcome obstacles to more successful therapy for older patients.