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Introduction to Ovarian Cancer
The cancer that originates in the ovaries including the surface epithelium, germ cells and sex-cord stromal cells. It is common for other cancers like colon cancer to go to ovarian cancer by metastatic spread and these tumors are not called ovarian cancer. Ovarian cancer claims more lives of American women each year than all the other gynecological cancers combined. According to the American Cancer Society, ovarian cancer accounts for 4 percent of all cancers among women and ranks fifth as a cause of their deaths from cancer. Ovarian cancer is the fifth most common cancer in women. The American Cancer Society statistics for ovarian cancer estimate that there will be 25,580 new cases and 16,090 deaths in 2004. The death rate for this disease has not changed much in the last 50 years. Ovarian Cancer of the ovaries accounts for about 4 percent of all cancers that occurs in women. Every woman has about 1.7 percent chance of developing ovarian cancer in her lifetime, and has about 1 percent chance of dying from the disease. The chances of developing ovarian cancer and dying form the disease are higher in Caucasian women compared to the African American women.
All ovarian tumors are not ovarian cancer. Different types of cells in the ovaries can give rise to different types of benign (non-cancerous) and ovarian cancers. Most of the time if the tumor is benign it can be cured by simple surgical removal of the tumor. On the other hand cancerous tumors of the ovary may be curable at an early stage, but not curable at later stages of the disease. The treatment options and the outcomes of treatment depend on the type of ovarian cancer and the extend of spread of the ovarian cancer.
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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