Incidence and mortality of ovarian cancer at the global, regional, and national levels, 1990-2017.

Background: Ovarian cancer (OC) is a commonly diagnosed gynecologic cancer. Knowing the incidence and mortality rates of OC is critical to understanding the disease burden and updating prevention strategies.

Methods: We retrieved the age-standardized incidence and mortality rates (ASIR and ASMR, respectively) of OC from the Global Burden of Disease study online database. Estimated average percentage change (EAPC) was used to quantify the trends of OC incidence and mortality from 1990 to 2017.

Results: Worldwide, the number of incident cases and deaths from OC increased from 152.1 and 95.5 thousand in 1990 to 286.1 and 176.0 thousand in 2017, respectively. Both the ASIR and ASMR decreased slightly during the study period (EAPC = -0.10, 95% CI, -0.16, -0.03; EAPC = -0.32, 95% CI, -0.38, -0.27). The greatest decreases of ASIR and ASMR were observed in Western Europe (EAPC = -1.22, 95% CI, -1.31, -1.14; EAPC = -1.31, 95% CI, -1.37, -1.25). A total of 137, 10, and 48 countries or territories experienced an increase, remained stable, and experienced a decrease in OC ASIR, respectively, between 1990 and 2017. For ASMR, a total of 129, 9, and 57 countries or territories experienced an increase, remained stable, and experienced a decrease, respectively, during the same period. The greatest increases in the ASIR and the ASMR were found in countries located in the Caribbean and Latin America.

Conclusions: The incidence and mortality of OC significantly decreased in developed countries. However, remarkable increases were observed in more than two-thirds of all countries, suggesting that OC will be more frequently diagnosed in developing countries.