1 in 3 With Ovarian Cancer Live 10 Years or More
Many of these patients even had 'high-risk' disease that lowered odds of a good prognosis
The authors noted in their paper that longer survival following a cancer diagnosis carries its own set of issues for patients, including anxiety, fatigue and social problems.
Susan Chinn, of Honolulu, is an eight-year survivor diagnosed in November 2007 at age 35 with what she described as early stage ovarian cancer. She agreed that survival brings its own baggage.
Chinn knew at diagnosis that her five-year survival prospects were pretty good because her cancer was diagnosed at an early stage.
"After all was said and done, I was in a good place physically, [but] mentally, I was a wreck," she said. "Looking back, I wish there was monitoring to check the mental and emotional impact of a cancer diagnosis," which would have saved her months of battling a crushing depression, she said. She ultimately found relief with her local gynecological cancer support group Hui Malama O Ola, which she said "has been instrumental in my recovery."
The reasons for the unexpected 10-year survival rate are unclear. Cress pointed to the possibility of better surgical treatment and more targeted chemotherapy.
Study lead author Dr. Gary Leiserowitz, interim chair of the department of obstetrics and gynecology at UC Davis, said in a statement that one hypothesis is that carrying certain mutations might make a tumor more responsive to chemotherapy than a tumor that doesn't have these mutations.
Figuring out these factors is important. According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, about 20,000 women receive an ovarian cancer diagnosis each year in the United States, and 90 percent of these women are over age 60. More than 14,000 women in the United States die of the disease annually.
The cancer is notorious for flying under the radar until its later stages, in part because its symptoms can be vague. They include abnormal vaginal bleeding, pressure or pain in the pelvic region, a change in bathroom habits, and feeling full quickly when you eat.
Bookman explained that more than 80 percent of women have advanced-stage disease when they are diagnosed. That statistic, he said, "reflects the tendency for ovarian cancer to spread at a very early stage without causing symptoms."