Ovarian cancer is an infrequently diagnosed, but serious illness for women. One in 70 American women will receive this diagnosis in their lifetime. This year alone, 24,000 women will be diagnosed, and 14,200 will die. The therapy and prognosis varies significantly, based on the stage (extent of disease), grade (microscopic pattern of growth) and histology (cell type) of the disease.
Ovarian cancer is not one disease, but many. The ovary is an organ that contains many different types of cells - the germ cells ("eggs"), the surface epithelial cells, the stromal cells that surround the germ cells, as well as blood vessels and other supporting tissues. Each of these cells has the potential to develop into a malignancy. The most common type of ovarian malignancies are the epithelial ovarian cancers, and of these, the most common is papillary serous carcinoma. All subsequent discussion will focus on these epithelial cancers.
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