Ovarian Cancer Treatment And PrognosisIf you have just received the disheartening news that you have ovarian cancer, you may still be in shock. However, once you pass that stage, you should arm yourself with as much information as you can regarding the treatment options you have for facing ovarian cancer and learn what your prognosis is. It may comfort you to know that if you or a loved one has ovarian cancer, the survival rate is much higher now because even if we cannot cure cancer, we have learned how to combat its effects on our body better. Before you learn the treatment options, it is more likely that you want to hear your prognosis as that will be the end number you have to face. Well, without being your personal doctor, it is hard to give an exact number since your prognosis is going to depend on the type of cancer and where in the ovaries it is, what stage the cancer has progressed to (meaning how far it has spread) and your age and general health outside of the ovarian cancer. The doctor is going to base his or her prognosis off of all these factors and based on how well he thinks you will respond to treatment. However, you should know that a prognosis is ALWAYS simply an educated guess, and that there are both miracle stories and those cases where things sadly do not end well. Your best weapon when starting treatment for ovarian cancer is yourself, so keep your spirits high and stay determined and you will be more equipped to battle the ovarian cancer. The current 5 year survival rates for white women is 44.2% and 39.5%, but you should know that this all complied before women began having regular smears and full exams so 68% of these cases were only caught after the cancer had spread reasonably, so that means stage 3 or 4. However, for ovarian cases that are diagnosed in stage 1 or 2, the survival rates for the five year mark are 93.1%. Therefore, if you successfully complete chemotherapy and have the cancerous cysts or tumors removed, you now stand a good chance at battling and surviving ovarian cancer. Any time you are facing cancer, you have the right to be frightened, but there are many new treatments and people are responding better to advanced radiation treatments so you should not give up hope. |