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Barriers to Quality Care in Ovarian Cancer Overview

Ovarian cancer is the fifth most common cause of cancer deaths for US women. Approximately 21,000 women are diagnosed and nearly 14,000 women lose their lives from the disease each year, according to the American Cancer Society. About half of those diagnosed are aged 63 or older. A woman’s risk of getting ovarian cancer in their lifetime is about one in 87.

When identified and treated at an early stage, the five-year survival rate is approximately 94 percent. Unfortunately, most ovarian cancers are not identified until an advanced stage, when they are more difficult to treat. Multiple factors make early diagnosis a challenge: a lack of symptoms in the early stages, vague/nonspecific symptoms, and the absence of a reliable screening test for ovarian cancer.

In January 2022, ACCC and its partner organizations—the Association for Molecular Pathology, the National Society of Genetic Counselors, and the Society of Gynecologic Oncology—conducted a quality improvement initiative to provide guidance for the optimal care of patients diagnosed with advanced epithelial ovarian cancer. Resources were collected to meet provider education needs and tools were generated to address barriers to quality ovarian cancer care delivery.

For more information on this project, please contact the ACCC Provider Education department.

Featured Resources

Based on the 7 key domains of quality ovarian cancer care identified by Temkin et al, the Quality Self-Assessment Tool for Ovarian Cancer Care Delivery helps cancer centers evaluate needs and implement evidence-based recommendations to improve ovarian cancer care at their institution.
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Advanced Epithelial Ovarian Cancer-400x280 In this quality improvement study, professionals from across the ovarian cancer care team collaborated to develop a comprehensive resource guide for multidisciplinary teams seeking to provide quality-directed cancer care for patients with ovarian cancer. This improvement study was a top downloaded resource for 2023.
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On-Demand Webinars

Provision of High-Quality Ovarian Cancer Care Delivery Through Multidisciplinary Coordination and Communication

Explore the impact of ACCC’s quality improvement initiative on several ovarian cancer care programs and learn about the ovarian quality of care self-assessment tool.
From Process to Quality Improvement: Lessons Learned on Addressing Quality Care in Ovarian Cancer

Review key issues and takeaways during early phases of this ovarian cancer care quality improvement initiative.

From Oncology Issues

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Improving the Quality of Care for Persons with Advanced Epithelial Ovarian Cancer

Premal H. Thaker, MD, MS, et al.

More than 20,000 women are diagnosed with ovarian cancer each year in the United States, most with advanced stage disease. With five year cause-specific survival of 47 percent, ovarian cancer is the fifth leading cause of cancer death among women in the United States. However, outcomes vary significantly by tumor stage, histologic type, and socio-demographic factors. Disparities in outcomes may be attributable to many factors, including sub-optimal quality of care. In the United States, fewer than one-third of patients with this disease currently receive guideline-concordant care. Recent advancements in curative intent therapeutic options for patients with ovarian cancer put a renewed emphasis on the need for high-quality care delivery.

From the ACCCBuzz Blog

ACCC Recognizes World Ovarian Cancer Day
May 08, 2024
Every year, on May 8th, the world comes together to recognize World Ovarian Cancer Day. The event raises awareness for a disease that is the second most common gynecologic cancer in the US.
ACCC Recognizes Ovarian Cancer Awareness Month
August 14, 2023
ACCC recognizes September as Ovarian Cancer Awareness Month in an upcoming webinar series.
Enhancing Advanced Ovarian Cancer Care Delivery
August 30, 2022
September is Ovarian Cancer and Gynecologic Cancer Awareness Month. In recognition, ACCC shares how its Barriers to Quality Care in Ovarian Cancer Phase II will test the model developed in the previous phase to optimize care for patients with advanced epithelial ovarian cancer.
Providing High-Quality Ovarian Cancer Care
December 20, 2021
Given the difficulty of managing patients with a high disease burden who are often undergoing toxic treatment regimens and managing multiple office visits, maintaining high-quality ovarian cancer care can be a challenge.