'Baby boost' for cancer patients

Early detection is key

Young women with ovarian cancer should not resign themselves to never being able to have children, a US study says.

A Stanford University team found survival rates were significantly lower for the over-60s than those aged 30-60.

Rates also remained relatively high among younger patients regardless of whether they had a hysterectomy or less invasive, fertility-sparing treatment.

The study of data on more than 28,000 women with epithelial ovarian cancer is in the British Journal of Cancer.

This is good news for women diagnosed with ovarian cancer who want to have children

Professor John Toy

The Stanford team found 59% of those diagnosed between the ages of 30 and 60 survived for at least five years, compared with just 35% of those diagnosed after 60.

The highest survival rate (79%) was found in the under 30s - but few get the disease that young.

And when the researchers focused on woman of childbearing age (16-40), they found survival rates remained relatively high if they had fertility-sparing treatment rather than a hysterectomy.

Ovarian cancer is often referred to as "the silent killer" because it is difficult to detect at an early stage, and difficult to treat unless it is detected early.

Although treatment for the disease has advanced over the last 20 years, long-term survival rates have shown only moderate improvement.

The researchers hope their work will aid efforts to boost survival rates.

Biological differences

The results contrast sharply with survival rates for breast cancer, where younger patients often have a more aggressive form of the disease.

The researchers said it was possible that younger ovarian cancer patients have had their cancer detected at an earlier stage, which improved their chances.

However, they said the exact reason for the difference was unclear, and may be due to biological differences in the type of ovarian cancer.

Lead researcher Dr John Chan said: "Our results suggest that more pre-menopausal women diagnosed with ovarian cancer can be considered for fertility-sparing surgery.

"Also, given the overall encouraging survival rates in this age group, we can potentially make a significant impact on the outcomes of these young women with novel strategies."

Professor John Toy, medical director of Cancer Research UK, said: "This is good news for women diagnosed with ovarian cancer who want to have children.

"But surgery for ovarian cancer that does not involve removing the womb is only an option for those whose cancer is picked up at an early enough stage, underlining the importance of early diagnosis."

In the UK, nearly 7,000 cases of ovarian cancer are diagnosed every year, with 85% of cases occurring in women over 50.

The disease causes more than 4,600 deaths in the UK each year.