New study shows ovarian cancer trends across the globe

A new study has revealed the global prevalence of ovarian cancer along with the changing trends in rates.

For the study, researchers analysed patterns and trends in ovarian cancer in 105 countries between 2013 to 2017.

They found that rates of ovarian cancer have declined were in Europe, America, and Oceania, while there have been increases in rates in Asia in countries such as in Japan and South Korea.

Further, the study found that serous carcinomas remained the most prevalent subtype of ovarian cancer across the world, with European countries exhibiting a higher proportion of serous carcinomas.

However, the findings also revealed that Asian countries had a higher proportion of endometrioid and clear cell carcinomas.

The highest age-standardised rates of ovarian cancer occurred in Latvia and Lithuania, with intermediate age-standardised rates of ovarian cancer seen in Northern Europe, Western Europe, Oceania, North America, and South America, with one exception being Ireland, according to the results.

The research revealed that the lowest age-standardised rates of ovarian cancer were detected in Africa and Asia, except for Brunei, the Philippines, and Singapore, and the lowest age-standardised rates of ovarian cancer recorded in Benin.

According to the researchers, international patterns of ovarian incidence by Human Development Index (HDI), the highest age-standardised rates of ovarian cancer occurred in very high HDI regions, while the lowest age-standardised rates were seen in regions with medium HDI values.

The researchers wrote: “It is suggested that countries with high incidence should strengthen public health education, actively screen for susceptibility genes, address adverse reproductive factors and lifestyles, and improve medical conditions to achieve primary and secondary prevention of OC. Further research is necessary to definitively identify the specific factors driving these variations in OC incidence across different countries, ultimately enabling the development of region-specific prevention and control strategies to effectively mitigate the global burden of this disease.”