Key points
- Ovarian cancer is a group of diseases that originates in the ovaries, fallopian tubes, or peritoneum.
- Ovarian cancers come in a variety of tumor types.
- Ovarian cancer often causes symptoms, so it is important to pay attention to your body and know what is normal for you.
What it is
Ovarian cancer is a group of diseases that originates in the ovaries, or in the related areas of the fallopian tubes and the peritoneum. Women have two ovaries that are located in the pelvis, one on each side of the uterus. The ovaries make female hormones and produce eggs for reproduction. Women have two fallopian tubes that are a pair of long, slender tubes on each side of the uterus. Eggs pass from the ovaries through the fallopian tubes to the uterus. The peritoneum is the tissue lining that covers organs in the abdomen.
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Types
Ovarian cancers come in a variety of different tumor types and subtypes. The most common tumor type is adenocarcinoma, and the most common subtype is serous adenocarcinoma. Most serous adenocarcinomas are high-grade (aggressively growing) tumors.
Pay attention to your body
Ovarian cancer often causes signs and symptoms, so it is important to pay attention to your body and know what is normal for you. Symptoms may be caused by something other than cancer, but the only way to know is to see your doctor. Treatment works best when ovarian cancer is found in its early stages.
Some mutations (changes in genes) can raise your risk for ovarian cancer. Mutations in the breast cancer susceptibility genes 1 and 2 (BRCA1 and BRCA2), and those associated with Lynch syndrome, are the most common mutations that raise ovarian cancer risk.