Trends in the incidence of ovarian cancer in a heterogenic population (1960-1976).

Data of an epidemiologic study of ovarian cancer in Israel are presented. During the 5-year period of this survey, 1001 new cases of primary cancer of the ovary were diagnosed. The findings are compared with those of two previous surveys covering the periods 1960-1965 (746 cases) and 1966-1971 (911 cases). The incidence during the 17-year period ranged between 15 and 19/100,000 women over the age of 15. The disease was three to five times more prevalent in women of European/American origin than in those of Asian/African descent. Seventy-five percent of the patients were between the ages of 45 and 74. The majority (50-71%) were already in stage III or stage IV at diagnosis. Factors affecting the prognosis are the age of the patient and clinical stage of the malignancy when first diagnosed, histology of the tumor, and type of treatment. Although the time interval between onset of the disease and its detection has remained protracted, the 5-year survival rate was improved from 15% during the period 1960-1965 to 31% between the years 1972-1976. This favorable trend is to be ascribed to new treatment modalities.