Each woman has about 1.7 percent chance of developing ovarian cancer in her lifetime. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), there are more than 204,000 new cases of ovarian cancer each year worldwide; the tumor is responsible for around 4% of all cancers diagnosed in women. In the U.S. alone, it is estimated that 21.550 women were diagnosed with ovarian cancer in 2009.
Ovarian cancer is the leading cause of death from gynecological cancers after breast cancer. Every woman has about 1 percent chance of dying from ovarian cancer in her lifetime. According to the National Cancer Institute, about 14.600 women died of cancer of the ovary in the United States in 2009.
The peak incidence of ovarian cancer is seen after menopause. From 2002-2006, the median age at diagnosis for cancer of the ovary was 63 years of age; percentages and ages at diagnosis were approximately:
- 1.3% under age 20;
- 3.5% between 20 and 34;
- 7.4% between 35 and 44;
- 18.9% between 45 and 54;
- 22.3% between 55 and 64;
- 19.9% between 65 and 74;
- 19.0% between 75 and 84;
- 7.6% 85+ years of age.