Global epidemiology of ovarian cancer: patterns, trends, and risk factors

Our plain-English summary of Global epidemiology of ovarian cancer: patterns, trends, and risk factors, by R. Li, A. Zhao, M. Liu, et al (Cancer Biology & Medicine, 2026).

The study

• Authors: R. Li, A. Zhao, M. Liu, L. Lu, B. Li, H. Zeng
• Journal: Cancer Biology & Medicine
• Published: 2026;23(7):958-73
• Type of article: Review
• Cited by: 3 articles, as counted by NIH iCite
• Read it: PubMed · Publisher · Free full text

Abstract

Ovarian cancer was the eighth most frequently diagnosed cancer among women in 2022. The global age-standardized incidence rate of ovarian cancer decreased from 7.22/100,000 to 6.71/100,000 from 1990 to 2021. However, incidence trends varied across countries. Declining ovarian cancer incidence rates were reported in high-income countries, such as the United States, Austria, the Netherlands, and Norway, while there were increasing incidence rates in Africa and parts of Asia, including Japan and India. The global age-standardized mortality rate of ovarian cancer decreased from 4.73/100,000 to 4.06/100,000 between 1999 and 2021 with varying trends among countries. Moreover, the age-standardized 5-year net ovarian cancer survival rate in most countries remained < 50%. Several specific factors related to ovarian cancer risk have been identified, including reproductive factors, use of oral contraceptives, anti-inflammatory diets, endometriosis, pelvic inflammatory disease, obesity, diabetes, and occupational asbestos exposure. No screening or prevention strategy has been proven effective in downstaging or reducing mortality from ovarian cancer in an average-risk population without a family cancer history or pathogenic variants. Indeed, risk-reducing salpingo-oophorectomy remains the gold standard for lowering the risk of ovarian cancer in high-risk individuals with hereditary mutations. This review provides a comprehensive overview of the epidemiology, risk factors, screening, and prevention of ovarian cancer, aiming to offer a global perspective on public health strategies for addressing the disease.

Copyright © 2026 The Authors.

In plain English

This article was a review, not a new study. The authors searched PubMed, Web of Science and EMBASE for studies published from January 1990 to May 2025 and summarized evidence on ovarian cancer rates, risk factors, screening, prevention and treatment. Citing global cancer statistics, they reported 324,603 new cases and 206,956 deaths worldwide in 2022. The global age-standardized incidence rate fell from 7.22 to 6.71 per 100,000 between 1990 and 2021. On asbestos, the review cited an earlier meta-analysis of 18 cohort studies of women with occupational asbestos exposure. That meta-analysis found a standardized mortality ratio for ovarian cancer of 1.77 (95% CI, 1.37 to 2.28). The review did not name fiber types. The authors called the evidence on talc inconsistent: case-control studies often reported a weak positive association, while cohort studies showed null results. The authors concluded that risk-reducing salpingo-oophorectomy remains the most effective preventive measure for high-risk women. They noted that the global figures are affected by differences in the methods and quality of cancer registries.

We wrote this plain-English summary from the full article with the help of AI, and a second AI model checked each sentence against the article. It is not the authors' wording; the abstract and the article are their own account.

What the study did and found

• Design: Narrative review of published literature (structured database search)
• Who was studied: Published peer-reviewed original studies, pooled analyses, meta-analyses and large population-based investigations on ovarian cancer worldwide, January 1990 to May 2025; non-English publications, case reports and conference abstracts were excluded
• Exposure: Many risk factors were reviewed (reproductive, dietary, metabolic, medical, genetic, environmental). For asbestos, the review cited a meta-analysis of cohort studies of women with occupational asbestos exposure; no fiber types were specified. Talc was also discussed.
• Main results:
  • In a cited meta-analysis of 18 cohort studies of women with occupational asbestos exposure, asbestos exposure was associated with increased ovarian cancer risk: standardized mortality ratio 1.77 (95% CI, 1.37 to 2.28)
  • For talc, case-control studies often reported a weak positive association, while cohort studies showed null results
  • Worldwide in 2022, according to GLOBOCAN, there were 324,603 new ovarian cancer cases
  • Worldwide in 2022, according to GLOBOCAN, there were 206,956 deaths from ovarian cancer
  • The global age-standardized incidence rate declined from 7.22 to 6.71 per 100,000 from 1990 to 2021
  • The global age-standardized mortality rate declined from 1999 to 2021, with an estimated annual percentage change of minus 0.62 (95% CI, minus 0.68 to minus 0.57)
  • Age-standardized 5-year net survival was below 50% in most countries for women diagnosed from 2010 to 2014
  • In cited trials, screening with serum CA-125 plus transvaginal ultrasound did not result in downstaging or lower ovarian cancer mortality in average-risk women
• The authors' conclusion: The authors concluded that risk-reducing salpingo-oophorectomy remains the most effective preventive measure for high-risk women, and that modifying lifestyle and reproductive factors offers a feasible approach to reducing risk
• Limitations the authors state:
  • Interpretation of global figures is affected by differences in the methods and quality of the underlying cancer registries
  • The risk estimates in Table 3 come from different meta-analyses and pooled studies. They are summarized associations, not effect sizes harmonized under a single model.

Topics

The National Library of Medicine indexes this study under subjects our site covers: Ovarian cancer.

Medical terms in this study, explained in our Lexicon: Epidemiology, Ovarian Cancer, Incidence, Asbestos Exposure.

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