An estimated 3,100 women were diagnosed with ovarian cancer in 2023 in Canada. These cancers can affect women of all ages but are more prevalent in women who have already undergone menopause. Ovarian cancers are often deadly and have a net five-year survival rate of only 45 per cent.
There are several types of ovarian cancer, with high-grade serous ovarian cancer (HGSOC) being the most common, and deadliest, form of the disease. While HGSOC is aggressive and often lethal, other subtypes are less aggressive and have a better prognosis. Improving treatment for women with all types of ovarian cancer is needed to reduce high mortality.
Today, high-mortality rates, ineffective treatments and poor quality of life for those who survive ovarian cancer make this deadly disease a pressing health issue in Canada.
Our Research Strategy
Given these challenges, the Terry Fox Research Institute has embarked on a multi-pronged strategy to fund the best ovarian cancer scientific teams and programs in the country.
In 2022/2023, roughly 3 per cent of the money invested by the TFRI supported ovarian cancer research. This added up to a total investment of $321,000.*
To allocate its resources, the Institute has international experts evaluate the excellence and the potential for impact of all its research projects. This approach distinguishes our research investment strategy from all others in Canada and allows donors to be confident that their investment is supporting the top 5% of Canadian researchers and their science.
*Our scientific discovery projects are interdisciplinary by design and often focus on more than one cancer type. The figures listed above are an estimate and should not be taken as exact figures.