Ovarian Cancer

Ovarian cancer is cancer that begins in the cells of the ovary. The ovaries are part of the female reproductive system. They produce a woman's eggs and female hormones. There is one ovary on each side of a woman’s uterus and each ovary is about the size and shape of an almond.

Ovarian cancer is not common, but it causes more deaths than other female reproductive cancers. A woman’s lifetime risk of getting ovarian cancer is 1 in 75 and her lifetime risk of dying from ovarian cancer is 1 in 100. It is difficult to detect and diagnose in early stages due to the fact that it may not cause symptoms in early stages and there are no good screening tests for ovarian cancer. Most ovarian cancers are diagnosed in women over 60 years of age.

Treatment for ovarian cancer usually includes surgery followed by chemotherapy.

The cause of ovarian cancer is not entirely clear. Cancer occurs when some ovarian cells begin growing abnormally. These cells divide more rapidly than healthy cells do and continue to accumulate, forming a lump or mass. The cells may spread (metastasize) through your pelvis and abdomen or to other parts of your body.

Hormonal, lifestyle, and environmental factors may increase the risk of getting ovarian cancer, but it is not clear why some women who have no risk factors develop cancer and other women with risk factors never do. Ovarian cancer is likely caused by a complex interaction of genetic makeup and environment.

Factors that are associated with an increased risk of ovarian cancer include:

• age. Ovarian cancer is most common in women aged 50 to 60 years.
• inherited gene mutations. A small percentage of ovarian cancers are caused by an inherited gene mutation. The genes known to increase the risk of ovarian cancer are called breast cancer gene 1 (BRCA1) and breast cancer gene 2 (BRCA2). (These genes were originally identified in families with multiple cases of breast cancer, which is how they got their names, but women with these mutations also have a significantly increased risk of ovarian cancer.)
• long-term use of estrogen hormone replacement therapy
• age when menstruation started and ended. If a woman began menstruating before age 12 or underwent menopause after age 52, or both, the risk of ovarian cancer may be higher.
• never being pregnant
• receiving fertility treatment
• smoking
• using an intrauterine device
• having polycystic ovary syndrome

See your doctor for persistent bloating, pelvic or abdominal pain, feeling full quickly, or needing to urinate often that lasts more than a few weeks. Because early symptoms are vague, do not ignore changes that are new and ongoing.