What is the truth behind ovarian cancer survival rates? Well, if you were to type "the truth behind ovarian cancer survival rates" into a search engine, you might be upset at the type of information you find. This is because most sites that are dedicated towards telling the truth behind ovarian cancer survival rates tend to do so from a more negative angle. For example, in the United States only 50 percent of women who have been diagnosed with ovarian cancer will live beyond five years. And this statistic does not provide any official hope that the disease will remain in remission beyond the five-year timeframe.

So, is this really the truth behind ovarian cancer survival rates? Yes and no. What many sites won't tell you is that the ovarian cancer survival rates are a lot more positive for women who have had their condition diagnosed early. In fact, for the 25 percent of women who are in this category, the ovarian cancer survival rate is an amazing 90 percent. Yet, most sites won't talk about this because the majority of women will get diagnosed in the latter stages of the disease, stages at which the disease has progressed too much for long-term survival.

How can a woman increase her chances of being part of the 25 percent that do get diagnosed early? This is a very difficult question to answer. For some women waiting until ovarian cancer symptoms start could be enough to get an early diagnosis. But there's a problem with this strategy. First of all, most of the symptoms associated with ovarian cancer are not drastic. Incontinence, abdominal swelling and painful sex, the three main symptoms of the disease, can easily be mistaken for conditions that are less serious. And even if woman suspects they are signs of ovarian cancer, it is possible that the condition has still progressed to a point that it has become lethal. This is because the symptoms are the same whether the tumors are massive or extremely small.

What's the best solution for a woman then? Well, if she has ovarian cancer in her family's history, she should consider getting periodic ovarian cancer screening whether or not she has symptoms. However, it should be noted that ovarian cancer screening, at least in its current state is not full-proof. It has a high rate of misdiagnosis, which could subject a woman to unnecessary surgery, chemotherapy or other types of ovarian cancer treatment. Yet, if a woman is in a high risk category, ovarian cancer screening could be the very thing that saves her life.

In conclusion, when it comes to the truth behind ovarian cancer survival rates, there is another more hopeful side to the story. The key is trying to get early diagnosis, especially if you have the disease in your family. For everyone else, it's best to take preventative measures, since the risk of misdiagnosis from an ovarian cancer diagnosis may be too high. Preventative measures include: breastfeeding, having your first child before 35 but not before 20, taking birth control pills and having a hysterectomy.