Differences in overall survival for invasive epithelial ovarian cancer by race and ethnicity: results from the Ovarian Cancer Association Consortium

BACKGROUND: Prior studies have examined survival in patients with epithelial ovarian cancer (EOC); however, few consider race and ethnicity, particularly disaggregating Asian and Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander women. METHODS: We analysed data from 18 Ovarian Cancer Association Consortium studies, including women with EOC from Asian (n = 697), non-Hispanic Black (n = 267), Hispanic (n = 492), Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander (n = 98) and non-Hispanic White (n = 12,998) racial and ethnic groups. We ran Cox proportional hazards models estimating overall survival by race and ethnicity, adjusting for age, stage, year of diagnosis, and histotype, with fully adjusted models accounting for body mass index, smoking, and postmenopausal hormone use. We also examined associations between hormone-related factors and family history and overall survival by race and ethnicity, testing for heterogeneity. RESULTS: Compared to non-Hispanic White women with EOC, Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander and non-Hispanic Black women had poorer overall survival (Hazard Ratios, HR = 1.58, 95% CI = 1.16-2.16, and HR = 1.31, 95% CI = 1.12-1.54, respectively). The association was more pronounced for Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander women with high-grade serous carcinoma (HR = 2.00, 95% CI = 1.37-2.92). There was no significant heterogeneity in the associations between epidemiological factors and survival by racial and ethnic groups (p ≥ 0.31). DISCUSSION: Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander and non-Hispanic Black women with EOC had poorer survival, highlighting the need to address disparities in outcome.

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Publication Details

Journal
British Journal of Cancer
Published
2026-06-29
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1038/s41416-026-03509-8
Primary Topic
Ovarian cancer diagnosis and treatment
Type
article
Field-Weighted Citation Impact
0.00

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article

Differences in overall survival for invasive epithelial ovarian cancer by race and ethnicity: results from the Ovarian Cancer Association Consortium

Melissa A. Merritt, Danja Sarink, Nicola S. Meagher, Weiva Sieh et al.
British Journal of Cancer
Ovarian cancer diagnosis and treatment
article

Differences in overall survival for invasive epithelial ovarian cancer by race and ethnicity: results from the Ovarian Cancer Association Consortium

Melissa A. Merritt, Danja Sarink, Nicola S. Meagher, Weiva Sieh, Elisa V. Bandera, Ellen L. Goode, Penelope M. Webb, Linda E. Kelemen, Kara L. Cushing‐Haugen, Anna DeFazio, Stacey J. Winham, Bo Qin, Marc T. Goodman, Alice S. Whittemore, Aleksandra Gentry‐Maharaj, Kathryn L. Terry, Scott H. Kaufmann, Valerie McGuire, Jennifer M. Koziak, Jennifer A. Doherty, Francesmary Modugno, Susan J. Jordan, Hoda Anton‐Culver, Toon Van Gorp, Usha Menon, Lauren Cole Peres, Beth Y. Karlan, Martin Köbel, Paul D.P. Pharoah, AH Wu, LR Wilkens, Daniel W. Cramer, Joseph H. Rothstein, H. A. Risch, Holly R. Harris, Helen Steed, Jenny Lester, Linda J. Titus, Pamela J. Thompson, Kami K. White, Malcolm C. Pike, Kirsten B. Moysich, Michael E. Carney, Celeste Leigh Pearce, Loic Le Marchand, on behalf of AOCS Group
article en

Abstract

BACKGROUND: Prior studies have examined survival in patients with epithelial ovarian cancer (EOC); however, few consider race and ethnicity, particularly disaggregating Asian and Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander women. METHODS: We analysed data from 18 Ovarian Cancer Association Consortium studies, including women with EOC from Asian (n = 697), non-Hispanic Black (n = 267), Hispanic (n = 492), Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander (n = 98) and non-Hispanic White (n = 12,998) racial and ethnic groups. We ran Cox proportional hazards models estimating overall survival by race and ethnicity, adjusting for age, stage, year of diagnosis, and histotype, with fully adjusted models accounting for body mass index, smoking, and postmenopausal hormone use. We also examined associations between hormone-related factors and family history and overall survival by race and ethnicity, testing for heterogeneity. RESULTS: Compared to non-Hispanic White women with EOC, Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander and non-Hispanic Black women had poorer overall survival (Hazard Ratios, HR = 1.58, 95% CI = 1.16-2.16, and HR = 1.31, 95% CI = 1.12-1.54, respectively). The association was more pronounced for Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander women with high-grade serous carcinoma (HR = 2.00, 95% CI = 1.37-2.92). There was no significant heterogeneity in the associations between epidemiological factors and survival by racial and ethnic groups (p ≥ 0.31). DISCUSSION: Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander and non-Hispanic Black women with EOC had poorer survival, highlighting the need to address disparities in outcome.

British Journal of Cancer
Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey (US), University of Southern California (US), University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa (US), Alberta Health Services (CA), South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control (US), Cedars-Sinai Medical Center (US), Brigham and Women's Hospital (US), Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center (US), The University of Sydney (AU), New South Wales Department of Health (AU), Mayo Clinic (US), Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center (US), The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center (US), Harvard University (US), University of Alberta (CA), University of South Carolina (US), University of California, Los Angeles (US), The University of Queensland (AU), University of Calgary (CA), University of Pittsburgh (US), University of Washington (US), University of California, Irvine (US), QIMR Berghofer Medical Research Institute (AU), University of Utah (US), University of Michigan (US), Huntsman Cancer Institute (US), Westmead Hospital (AU), Moffitt Cancer Center (US), UNSW Sydney (AU), Yale University (US), Fred Hutch Cancer Center (US), MRC Clinical Trials Unit at UCL (GB), VIB-KU Leuven Center for Cancer Biology (BE), Cancer Center of Hawaii (US), Magee-Womens Research Institute (US), Dartmouth Psychiatric Research Center (US), Mayo Clinic in Arizona (US), Cancer Research Center (US), UPMC Hillman Cancer Center (US), Westmead Institute for Medical Research (AU), Mayo Clinic in Florida (US), Dartmouth Cancer Center, University College London (GB), Cancer Council NSW (AU), Stanford University (US), Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai (US), KU Leuven (BE)
U.S. Department of Defense, Oak Foundation, Ovarian Cancer Research Fund, Minnesota Ovarian Cancer Alliance, State of Connecticut Department of Public Health, Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research, Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, Rutgers Cancer Institute of New Jersey, University of Pittsburgh, Wellcome Trust, Ovarian Cancer Australia, Ovarian Cancer Research Alliance, Lon V. Smith Foundation, Cancer Research UK, National Institute for Health and Care Research, University of Cambridge, European Commission, Cancer Australia, Fonds Wetenschappelijk Onderzoek, Vlaamse regering, National Institutes of Health, Canadian Institutes of Health Research, Medical Research Council, National Health and Medical Research Council, National Cancer Institute, National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences, Medical Research and Materiel Command
Openalex Percentile: Top 7%
Ovarian cancer diagnosis and treatment
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