Chapter 11 Ovarian Cancer: Cancer

Content provided by the Faculty of the Harvard Medical School

Chapter 11: Ovarian cancer

The ovaries are tiny sacs just above the uterus, which release eggs every month to be fertilized by sperm. They also produce two female hormones, estrogen and progesterone, which regulate your menstrual cycle. Ovarian cancer develops when cells in the ovary begin growing abnormally. Ovarian cancer is hard to detect and is equally hard to prevent.

The disease remains a mystery in many ways. A small minority of cases can be linked to an inherited genetic mutation, but most develop for no identifiable reason. Ovarian cancer usually has no symptoms until the cancer has progressed and even spread. The symptoms that do appear - abdominal bloating, frequent urination, constipation, or nausea - might be caused by any number of things. Nor is there a reliable screening method, so when the disease is discovered, it is often in a more advanced stage than would be the case with other newly diagnosed cancers.

Few risk factors for ovarian cancer are known. As with most cancers, risk increases with age. About half of all ovarian cancers develop in people over age 65. You also are at increased risk if you have had breast cancer; if your mother, sisters, or daughters have had ovarian cancer; or if you have tested positive for certain genetic mutations.

Last updated:	May 01, 2008