Most women diagnosed with Stage IV ovarian cancer have a five-year survival rate of approximately 17%. Almost half (46%) of women with ovarian cancer are still alive at least 5 years after diagnosis. Staging gives an idea about the survival rate and is indicative of trends in the general population and not a specific case.

Ovarian cancer, or cancer of the ovaries, is one of the most common types of cancer in females. The ovaries are a pair of small organs located low in the abdomen that are connected to the womb and store a woman's eggs. The cancer mainly affects women after the menopause.

Staging is the process of classifying a tumor based on the extent to which it has spread in the body at the time of diagnosis. Ovarian cancer staging is as follows: Stage 1: Limited to one or both ovaries; Stage 2: Limited to the pelvis; Stage 3: Disease spread outside of the pelvis.

The cells may develop a tumor on the ovary, parts of which can break off and spread to other parts of the body causing the spread of ovarian cancer. Ovarian cancer is the most fatal of all cancers of a woman's reproductive tract. Most ovarian cancer occurs after menopause; and about 50% of them occur in women over age 60.

Ovarian cancer is a relatively common cause of cancer among women. It is difficult to detect, especially, in the early stages, but there are certain signs and symptoms a person can experience that can show the presence of ovarian cancer developing.

Different types of ovarian cancer are classified according to the types of cells from which they start. Epithelial tumors, germ cell carcinoma tumors, and stromal carcinoma tumors are the different types of tumors that develop in ovaries. About 90 percent of ovarian cancers develop in the epithelium, the thin layer of tissue that covers the ovaries.