- Cancer is staged ranging from 1 to 4---with 4 being the most advanced stage. Staging is established based on the presence of the original tumor and its size, how far it has spread and how it responds to treatment.
- The spread of cancer into vital organs such as the liver, lungs, bones and brain is referred to as metastasis. Surgical removal of the cancer at this point is difficult.
- According to the American Cancer Society, stage 4 ovarian cancer is split into three main types, with invasive epithelial having the worst prognosis, low-malignant ovarian tumors having a 77 percent chance of five-year survival and germ-cell ovary tumor patients having a 55 percent chance of surviving only five years.
- Based on a five-year survival rate, cancer patients with stage 4 invasive epithelial ovarian cancer have only an 18 percent chance of surviving past five years of their original diagnosis.
- Most stage 4 ovarian cancers are treated with palliative care. This means chemotherapy and radiation therapy may be used to shrink the tumor but not treat the disease. Comfort measures are used to ensure a reduction in pain and discomfort.
