With a low ovarian cancer survival rate, it is very important that any woman that is at a higher risk should undergo regular screenings to detect the presence of tumors in the ovaries. As the condition often has no outward symptoms, it is often overlooked for too long. This factor is commonly due to the nature of the cancer. Tumors in the ovaries will consistently release cells into the fluid that is found in the area. In this manner, the tumors can spread to the bladder, bowels, or uterus before a person even thinks that they may have cancer. There is no definite cause of ovarian cancer, but it is thought that genetic information and hormone levels play a large part in the development of the condition. Women that have a family history of ovarian cancer are much more likely to have the problem. Also, women that take birth control pills tend to develop the condition much less. It is thought that the extra hormones in these pills help to prevent the cancer.

Unfortunately, the survival rates are quite different between early and late detection. While ovarian cancer survival stories are quite numerous in cases where it was detected early, the number of late detection survival stories is quite less. In general, the survival rates for all combined cases of ovarian cancer is 45.5%. However, this statistic can be misleading. In cases where the cancer is still in the primary location, prognosis is very good, with a survival rate of 92.7%. The other side of the coin is that a much lower percentage of women are able to survive once the cancer has spread. Another factor that determines the exact survival rate is the type of tumor that is present. The majority of ovarian cancer cases are classified as epithelial ovarian cancer. However, germ cell tumors account for 5% of cancers and nearly 30% of the actual tumors. The gram cell tumors grow at a much more rapid pace, leading to earlier detection and treatment.

To increase the number of ovarian cancer survival stories, women that fall into higher risk groups will need to speak about the issue with a local physician and have certain tests performed. The first tests that will need to be performed are a general blood test and a test to ascertain levels of specific serum electrolytes. Specifically, there are a number of serums (BHCG, AFP, and LDH) that should be tested in younger women. There are few tests that positively identify the presence of an ovarian tumor, but one test that is used with a high frequency is the CA-125 blood test. It is one of the only tests that has been proven to accurately detect the early stages of ovarian cancer. While many tests do not currently exist, there is a great deal of research being done to find more effective testing methods. Most research is being done in the area of using a combination of disease indicators and tumor markers proteomics. It is thought that as detection methods are advanced, the ovarian cancer survival rate will increase proportionally.