title: Worldwide comparison of ovarian cancer survival: Histological group and stage at diagnosis (CONCORD-2).
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Ovarian cancer comprises several histological groups with widely differing levels of survival. We aimed to explore international variation in survival for each group to help interpret international differences in survival from all ovarian cancers combined. We also examined differences in stage-specific survival.
  
  
  METHODS
  The CONCORD programme is the largest population-based study of global trends in cancer survival, including data from 60 countries for 695,932 women (aged 15-99years) diagnosed with ovarian cancer during 1995-2009. We defined six histological groups: type I epithelial, type II epithelial, germ cell, sex cord-stromal, other specific non-epithelial and non-specific morphology, and estimated age-standardised 5-year net survival for each country by histological group. We also analysed data from 67 cancer registries for 233,659 women diagnosed from 2001 to 2009, for whom information on stage at diagnosis was available. We estimated age-standardised 5-year net survival by stage at diagnosis (localised or advanced).
  
  
  RESULTS
  Survival from type I epithelial ovarian tumours for women diagnosed during 2005-09 ranged from 40 to 70%. Survival from type II epithelial tumours was much lower (20-45%). Survival from germ cell tumours was higher than that of type II epithelial tumours, but also varied widely between countries. Survival for sex-cord stromal tumours was higher than for the five other groups. Survival from localised tumours was much higher than for advanced disease (80% vs. 30%).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  There is wide variation in survival between histological groups, and stage at diagnosis remains an important factor in ovarian cancer survival. International comparisons of ovarian cancer survival should incorporate histology.
authors.affiliation: Cancer Survival Group, London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, London, UK. Electronic address: Melissa.Matz@LSHTM.ac.uk.
authors.forename: Melissa
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Matz
authors.affiliation: Cancer Survival Group, London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, London, UK.
authors.forename: Michel P
authors.initials: MP
authors.lastname: Coleman
authors.affiliation: Cancer Survival Group, London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, London, UK.
authors.forename: Helena
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Carreira
authors.affiliation: Department of Epidemiology, Regional Health Council, IMIB, Arrixaca, Murcia, Spain; CIBER Epidemiología y Salud Pública (CIBERESP), Madrid, Spain; Department of Health and Social Sciences, Murcia University, Murcia, Spain.
authors.forename: Diego
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Salmerón
authors.affiliation: Department of Epidemiology, Regional Health Council, IMIB, Arrixaca, Murcia, Spain; CIBER Epidemiología y Salud Pública (CIBERESP), Madrid, Spain; Department of Health and Social Sciences, Murcia University, Murcia, Spain.
authors.forename: Maria Dolores
authors.initials: MD
authors.lastname: Chirlaque
authors.affiliation: Cancer Survival Group, London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, London, UK.
authors.forename: Claudia
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Allemani
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D009367:Neoplasm Staging; D010051:Ovarian Neoplasms / Q000401:mortality* / Q000473:pathology
keywords: epidemiology; histology; morphology; ovarian cancer; stage; survival