Report: Patient Perspectives on ovarian cancer September 2013

....While the results from our patient survey appear to be more encouraging than those of the study conducted by Bristow, et al, there are several reasons that may have occured. Our respondents were self-selected and are not a representative sample of women diagnosed with ovarian cancer in the United States(see Limitations, page 5). As such, our data may not paint an accurate picture of the state of ovarian cancer diagnosis and treatment in this country........We know that about one in four women diagnosed with ovarian cancer will die within a year of their diagnosis. Given that 83.35% of our respondents were diagnosed more than a year ago, we may have underrepresented those women who passed away within the first year, perhaps due to a lack of proper treatment. Further studies of women who are newly diagnosed might reveal more about what women are told about standard treatment for ovarian cancer and why they do—or do not—receive such care.........