Ovarian Cancer

Many ovarian tumors are benign (noncancerous), and the patient can be cured by surgically removing one ovary or the part of an ovary containing the tumor. If the patient's tumor is malignant (cancerous) their prognosis depends on the type of ovarian cancer and how far it has spread.

There are three main types of ovarian tumors. Epithelial tumors start from the cells that cover the outer surface of the ovary, these account for 85 percent to 90 percent of cancers of the ovaries. Germ cell tumors start from the cells which produce the ova or eggs, and account for 5 percent to10 percent of ovarian tumors. Stromal tumors start from connective tissue cells which hold the ovary together and produce the female hormones, estrogen and progesterone. These tumors account for about 5 percent of ovarian tumors.

Approximately 76 percent of ovarian cancer patients survive longer than one year after diagnosis and more than 46 percent survive longer than five years after diagnosis. If diagnosed and treated while the cancer has not spread outside the ovary, the five-year survival rate is 93 percent, but only about 24 percent of all cases are found at this early stage.

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