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Ovarian cancer    See images

Overview | Symptoms | Treatment | Prevention

Alternative names:

Cancer - ovaries

Definition:

Ovarian cancer is a malignant neoplasm (abnormal growth) located on the ovaries.

Causes and Risks

The exact cause of ovarian cancer is unknown. Oddly enough, ovarian cancer is fairly uncommon, yet it is the 5th leading cause of cancer death in women. It is also the leading cause of death from gynecologic malignancies. This is a result of a number of factors. The symptoms of ovarian cancer are vague and nonspecific. By the time the cancer is diagnosed, the tumor has often spread beyond the ovaries. Ovarian cancers shed malignant cells which frequently implant on the uterus, bladder, bowel, and omentum. These cells can begin forming new tumor growths before cancer is even suspected. Because no cost-effective screening test for ovarian cancer exists, over 50 percent of women with ovarian cancer are diagnosed in the advanced stages of the disease.

Ovarian cancer is more common in industrialized nations, with the exception of Japan. In the United States, females have a 1.4 to 1.5% (1 out of 70 women) chance of developing ovarian cancer at some point in their lives. The incidence is higher in older women. More than half of the deaths from ovarian cancer occur in women between 55 and 74 years of age. Approximately one quarter of ovarian cancer deaths occur in women between 35 and 54 years of age.

The risk for developing ovarian cancer appears to be affected by several factors. The more children a woman has, the lower her risk of ovarian cancer. Early age at first pregnancy and the use of oral contraceptive pills have also been shown to have a protective effect. In contrast, the use of fertility drugs has been associated with an increased chance of developing ovarian cancer. Familial syndromes may also increase the risk. Patients with a personal history of breast cancer, or a family history of breast and/or ovarian cancer may have an elevated risk. A family history of colon, lung, prostate, and uterine cancers may indicate the presence of a Lynch II syndrome, which may also confer a higher risk for developing ovarian cancer. Other factors that have been investigated, such as talc use, asbestos exposure, high dietary fat content, and childhood mumps infection are controversial and have not been definitively proven.

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