Ovarian cancer in France: Trends in incidence, mortality and survival, 1980–2012

• The decrease in mortality of ovarian cancer has accentuated since 2005.
• Ovarian cancer is responsible for 5% of all cancer-related deaths in women.
• 10-year net survival of adnexa cancer is 11% higher than that of ovarian cancer.

ObjectiveThe aim of this epidemiological study was to describe the incidence, mortality and survival of ovarian cancer (OC) in France, according to age, period of diagnosis, and histological type.MethodsIncidence and mortality were estimated from 1980 to 2012 based on data in French cancer registries and from the Centre for Epidemiology of Causes of Death (CépiDc-Inserm) up to 2009. Net survival was estimated from registry data using the Pohar-Perme method, on cases diagnosed between 1989 and 2010, with date of last follow-up set at 30 June 2013.ResultsIn 2012, 4615 cases of OC were diagnosed in France, and 3140 women died from OC. World population age-standardized incidence and mortality rates declined by respectively 0.6% and 1.2% per year between 1980 and 2012. Net survival at 5 years increased slightly, from 40% for the period 1989–1993 to 45% for the period 2005–2010. Net survival varied considerably according to histological type. Germ cell tumors had better net survival at 10 years (81%) compared to epithelial tumors (32%), sex cord-stromal tumors (40%) and tumors without biopsy (8%).ConclusionsOur study shows a decline in incidence and mortality rates from ovarian cancer in France between 1980 and 2012, but net survival remains poor overall, and improved only slightly over the whole study period.