Ovarian cancer is the fifth most common cancer among women, and it causes more deaths than any other type of female reproductive cancer.
The cause is unknown.
The risk for developing ovarian cancer appears to be affected by several factors. The more children a woman has and the earlier in life she gives birth, the lower her risk of ovarian cancer. Certain genes (BRCA1 and BRCA2) are responsible for a small number of ovarian cancer cases. Women with a personal history of breast cancer or a family history of breast or ovarian cancer have an increased risk for ovarian cancer.
Older women are at highest risk. About two-thirds of the deaths from ovarian cancer occur in women age 55 and older. About 25% of ovarian cancer deaths occur in women between 35 and 54 years of age.
Ovarian cancer symptoms are often vague and non-specific, so women and doctors often blame the symptoms on other, more common conditions. By the time the cancer is diagnosed, the tumor has often spread beyond the ovaries.
Additional symptoms that may be associated with this disease:
Increased urinary frequency or urgency
Excessive hair growth
Signs and tests
A physical examination may reveal increased abdominal girth and ascites (fluid within the abdominal cavity). A pelvic examination may reveal an ovarian or abdominal mass.
Ovarian cysts (4 images)
Average Rating:
(Doctor-Reviewed information)
An ovarian cyst is a sac filled with fluid that forms on or inside of an ovary.Physiologic ovarian cysts; Functional ovarian cysts.Ovarian cysts may occur during the process in which an egg is released from the ovary(ovulation). During the days be...Reviewer: Peter Chen, MD, Department of Obstetrics & Gynecology, University of Pennsylvania Medical Center, Philadelphia, PA. Review provided by VeriMed Healthcare Network. Also reviewed by David Zieve, MD, MHA, Medical Director, A.D.A.M., Inc.Date: 02/19/2008
Radiation therapy (1 image)(Doctor-Reviewed information)
Radiation therapy uses high powered x-rays or radioactive seeds to kill cancer cells.Cancer cells usually multiply faster than other cells in the body. Because radiation is most harmful to rapidly growing cells, radiation therapy damages cancer ce...Reviewer: James R. Mason, MD, Oncologist, Director, Blood and Marrow Transplantation Program and Stem Cell Processing Lab, Scripps Clinic, Torrey Pines, California. Also reviewed by David Zieve, MD, MHA, Medical Director, A.D.A.M., Inc.Date: 09/30/2008
Chemotherapy (1 image)(Doctor-Reviewed information)
Chemotherapy is the use of drugs to kill bacteria, viruses, fungi, and cancer cells. Most commonly, the term is used to refer to cancer-killing drugs. Reviewer: James R. Mason, MD, Oncologist, Director, Blood and Marrow Transplantation Program and Stem Cell Processing Lab, Scripps Clinic, Torrey Pines, California. Also reviewed by David Zieve, MD, MHA, Medical Director, A.D.A.M., Inc.Date: 09/30/2008
Cancer - resources(Doctor-Reviewed information)
The following organizations are good resources for information on cancer: American Cancer Society - www.cancer.org; Cancer Care - www.cancercare.org; National Cancer Institute - www.cancer.gov. Reviewer: Jennifer K. Mannheim, CPNP, private practice, Seattle, Washington. Also reviewed by David Zieve, MD, MHA, Medical Director, A.D.A.M., Inc.Date: 10/18/2008
Cancer
Average Rating:
(Doctor-Reviewed information)
Cancer is the uncontrolled growth of abnormal cells in the body. Cancerous cells are also called malignant cells.Cells are the building blocks of living things. Reviewer: David C. Dugdale, III, MD, Professor of Medicine, Division of General Medicine, Department of Medicine, University of Washington School of Medicine. Also reviewed by David Zieve, MD, MHA, Medical Director, A.D.A.M., Inc.Date: 08/02/2008
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