Prognosis of ovarian cancer
Last reviewed: 23.04.2024
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Among the causes of death from cancer, arising in women in Europe, malignant ovarian tumors came in sixth place. However, as experts from ESMO (European Society of Medical Oncology) say, despite the appearance of new drugs and improvement of treatment methods, the prognosis of ovarian cancer remains unfavorable, and the average five-year survival in ovarian cancer is 70% - with non-epithelial cancer and 25-35% epithelial (but this is without taking into account the specific stage of the disease).
[Prognosis of ovarian cancer in stage 1
In oncology, the definition of the stage of cancer is a prerequisite for diagnosis, allowing doctors to choose a treatment plan that corresponds to one or another stage of the development of the tumor process and its biological characteristics, including the cytological structure of neoplasia.
In many ways, the prognosis of ovarian cancer depends precisely on the stage of tumor development, that is, its initial (at the time of detection), localization, spreading to the lymph nodes and to other organs and parts of the body. In addition, the degree of differentiation of neoplastic cells and the rate of their reproduction, age and general condition of the patients and, of course, the response of the organism to the treatment being undertaken are taken into account.
The most favorable is the prognosis of ovarian cancer in the 1st stage, as this is an early stage, and the cancer has not yet spread beyond the ovaries. Although this applies only to stages 1A (only one ovary is affected) and 1B (both ovaries are affected), and even at stage 1C, cancer cells can be detected outside the ovary.
If the tumor is detected at this stage, then the five-year survival rate for ovarian cancer, according to the American Cancer Society (ACS), is 92% (at stage 1C - not more than 80%). But this does not mean that newly returned patients will live only five years 5 years. This statistical indicator adopted in medicine fixes the number of people who are alive 5 years after diagnosis and treatment. Five years is not the maximum period of life, just the probability of cancer recurrence through such a period of time is considered low.
But the cancer is different: invasive epithelial, stromal and germinogenic. In 8-9 cases out of 10, epithelial cancer is diagnosed (its oncologists are called carcinoma), and it affects the epithelial cells of the outer shell of the ovaries. With this histological type of tumor, the prognosis of ovarian cancer in stage 1 relative to the five-year life span varies from 55 to 80%.
If the sex hormone producing cells of ovarian stroma are affected, the histology determines stromal neoplasia. Forecast of such cancer at an early stage: five-year survival rate - 95%.
In the case of germ -igenic ovarian cancer (when the cells of the cortical ovary zone, where the follicles are concentrated with the eggs, mutate and grow), the average survival rate of patients over the next five years is the highest - 96-98%. However, the matter is significantly complicated by the fact that only about 15% of cases of ovarian cancer are diagnosed in the first stage.
Prognosis of ovarian cancer in 2 stages
In 2 stages, the cancer from one or both ovaries migrates further - to the fallopian tubes and uterus (stage 2A) or to the bladder and closely located parts of the large intestine (stage 2B).
Therefore, the prognosis of ovarian cancer in stage 2 - after removal of the uterus and chemotherapy - is much worse than at stage 1: in fact, this is a prognosis of ovarian cancer with metastases that affect many organs of the pelvis and abdominal cavity, and for at least five years continue to live in average 44% of women (according to the latest data, 55-68%).
Experts note the importance for prolonging life as a complete removal of tumor tissues during surgery, and the effectiveness of cytostatics drugs used in chemotherapy. Because it is these factors that are decisive for stopping the further growth of neoplasia. Obviously, these factors explain the difference in survival rates for ovarian cancer, cited by foreign oncologists-gynecologists (USA, Germany, Israel): in general - up to 70%; with invasive epithelial cancer - 55-75%; at stromal - 70-78%; with germicogenic - 87-94%.
Prognosis of ovarian cancer in 3 stages
An unfavorable prognosis of ovarian cancer in the 3 stages, primarily due to the fact that at this stage, the malignant cells have already implanted into the serous lining of the abdominal cavity (peritoneum) or spread to the retroperitoneal lymph nodes, as well as to other pelvic organs and lymph nodes within abdominal cavity.
In the epithelial type of tumor, the prognosis of ovarian cancer in 3 stages (3A and 3B) is 5 years, life expectancy is 3A and 3B) 25-40%; at stromal - up to 63%; at germicogenic - less than 84%.
In the diagnosed stage 3C, cancer cell clusters can be found on the surface of the liver or spleen, or in nearby lymph nodes. Moreover, excess fluid in the abdominal cavity - malignant ascites - promotes more active dissemination of tumor cells with lymphatic flow, and the prognosis for ovarian cancer with ascites is extremely unfavorable: in addition to liver damage, other internal organs attack cancer cells, which leads to a decrease in survival to 10- 15% within 3.5-5 years.
Prognosis of ovarian cancer in 4 stages
The prognosis of ovarian cancer with metastases at this stage of the disease is unfavorable in its outcome due to tumor metastasis to many organs: the presence of atypical cells in the pleural fluid and lung tissue damage (in stage 4A); inside the liver, in distant lymph nodes, in the skin, in the bone or brain (in stage 4B).
As some experts note, the prognosis of ovarian cancer in 4 stages in terms of the five-year survival rate does not exceed 7-9%. Others argue that survival (after surgery and courses of treatment with cytostatics) does not exceed 5%.
Some oncologists call an even lower survival rate for a malignant ovarian tumor at this stage: 1.5-2%, since the situation is aggravated by all sorts of complications that are unavoidable during chemotherapy.
According to the World Cancer Research Foundation (WCRF) experts, within one year of the detection of ovarian cancer, 75 out of 100 patients survive, but when seeking medical help in the advanced stages of the disease, after 15 years, it remains 15 times less.
Once again, it should be emphasized that the prognosis of ovarian cancer is an average statistical indicator based on the history of the disease of a large number of patients. And whatever this prediction is, it can not accurately predict what will happen to you. Statistics can not take into account all the specifics, and in fact the success of treatment and survival in ovarian cancer is affected by many individual factors.