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Epithelial Tumors
These types of tumors are common, and originate from the cells that make the outermost covering of the ovary. Most epithelial ovarian tumors are non-cancerous. Different names are given to different epithelial ovarian cancer tumors depending on the cell of origin. Some examples include: serous adenomas, mucinous adenomas, and Brenner tumors. Epithelial ovarian carcinomas constitute about 85 to 90 percent of all cancers of the ovaries and this group is the one we usually refer to as ovarian cancer. If we discuss anything about ovarian cancer that are not epithelial ovarian cancers, then usually the article mentions to the specific subtype of the ovarian cancer. Cancer of the ovaries originating from the epithelial cells are usually the deadliest of all ovarian cancers. In between the spectrum of benign and malignant tumors there are a group of epithelial ovarian cancers known as borderline tumors. These tumors behave midway between the benign and malignant tumors. Depending upon the microscopic appearance, epithelial ovarian cancer may be divided in to subgroups including serous, mucinous, endometrioid, and clear cell types. Some times the cancer cells lack any distinguishing features to classify in to one of these groups and they are called undifferentiated epithelial ovarian cancers.
Since ovarian cancer does not produce any symptoms at an early age, almost 70 percent of women ovarian cancer are not diagnosed until the disease is advanced in stage. The patient may notice some symptoms when the ovarian cancer spreads inside abdomen (stage III) or distant organs (stage IV). Ovarian cancer may be curable if found early, but if diagnosed at a later stage, the chance of that patient living 5 years after the diagnosis is only 15 to 20 percent. The survival is good for early stage ovarian cancer. If the ovarian cancer is diagnosed at stage I the 5 year expected survival rate is about 95 percent, and if the ovarian cancer is diagnosed at stage II the survival rate is around 70 percent.
The prognosis of ovarian cancer also depends on grade of the ovarian cancer. Grade is determined by the pathologist who examines the ovarian cancer tissue under the microscope. The tumor that resembles the normal ovarian tissue is usually labeled as low grade and the tumor that has high growth rate and more aggressive look is labeled as high grade.
More resources for ovarian cancer
Ovarian cancer news
Ovarian cancer
Ovarian cancer genetic testing
Breast cancer and ovarian cancer resources
cancer Basics
Introduction to cancer
Cancer information
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