Why Choose Us?

Blog

Failure to Diagnose Cancer

Unnecessary Cancer Tests IdentifiedPosted on 4/19/2012
Could What Happened to a NY Breast Cancer Victim Happen in Georgia?Posted on 3/2/2012
Young Adult Cancer Death Rate Has Not Fallen as it Has for Other AgesPosted on 1/28/2012
Pediatric Failure to Diagnose Cancer Case to Move ForwardPosted on 1/25/2012
Avoiding Cancer Deaths: UGA Researchers Share Exciting Cancer NewsPosted on 1/16/2012

Incidence Rates and Death Rates of Ovarian Cancer are Trending in the Right Direction

While it's true that most cancers see an annual increase in the number of new incidences and deaths from the previous year, what many people don’t realize is that the majority of those rates of increase are slowing down. For many cancers, including ovarian cancer, incidence and death rates have been on the decline for years despite annual increases in both deaths and new cases of ovarian cancer.

Incidence Rates Continue Their Plunge

According to the American Cancer Society, it is estimated that 21,880 women were diagnosed with ovarian cancer in 2010, an increase of over 300 cases from the previous year. Despite that increase, statistics prove the amount of new ovarian cancer cases increases by a little less each year, which is why we can say rates are on the decline in ovarian cancer incidences. In fact, ovarian cancer incidence rates have been on a downward trend since 1985. From 2001 to 2007, the incidence rate of ovarian cancer decreased by over 2 percent per year.

The fact that ovarian cancer and many other types of cancer are experiencing a decline in incidence rates is a testament to the advancements that have been made in early detection test technology and public awareness of these deadly diseases.

Death Rates Slowly Decreasing

Death rates for ovarian cancer have not seen the kind of decline that the disease’s incidence rates have experienced. Whereas incidence rates have been falling for over two decades, ovarian cancer death rates have fluctuated greatly over that time. According to the National Cancer Institute, ovarian cancer death rates rose 0.3 percent each year from 1982 to 1992. From 1992 to 1998, the rates fell each year by 1.2 percent. From 1998 to 2002, the rates again began to rise by 0.8 percent annually. Most recently, the rates have leaned the other way and are falling again by 1.7 percent a year.

There are a number of different factors which can affect these up-and-down death rates for ovarian cancer since the early 1980s, and some have argued that increased awareness and exposure of the disease in the public eye may have inadvertently led to some deaths being blamed on ovarian cancer when other conditions were responsible. The bottom line, though, is that death rates in ovarian cancer are experiencing their largest decline since the 1970s.

If you or a loved one has been diagnosed with ovarian cancer in Georgia and feel it was discovered late or there was a failure to diagnose the disease by your doctor or medical professional, please request one of the Dover Law Firm’s free information resources on cancer available to you, including our book, I Have Cancer…Should It Have Been Caught Earlier?, and our report, Cancer: Screening, Diagnosis and Treatment Errors. You can also contact an experienced Atlanta medical malpractice and ovarian cancer attorney at the Dover Law Firm at 770-518-1133 to discuss your legal options if you've received bad medical care for your cancer.

Watch Dover Law Firm TV Here