Ovarian Cancer
Ovarian Cancer
• Description of the disease ovarian cancer is cancer that develops in one or both ovaries--glands in females where reproductive eggs are made. Typically, the cancer forms on the ovary's surface. Although many cases of ovarian cancer aren't caught until the cancer has metastasized, or spread, outside of the ovaries, improvements in treatment and diagnosis have increased survival rates. Ovarian cancer comes in several varieties. The most common type, epithelial tumors, occurs on the outside lining, or epithelium, of the ovary. Cancer can also develop inside the eggs contained in the ovary. These tumors are called germ cell carcinomas. A third type can form in the tissue cells that make up the ovary and produce hormones. Tumors of this type are called stromal carcinomas.
•Risk factors for the disease the risk of developing ovarian cancer gets higher with age. Ovarian cancer is rare in women younger than 40. Most ovarian cancers develop after menopause. Half of all ovarian cancers are found in women 63 years of age or older. Various studies have looked at the relationship of obesity and ovarian cancer. Overall, it seems that obese women (those with a body mass index of at least 30) have a higher risk of developing ovarian cancer. Women who have been pregnant and carried it to term have a lower risk of ovarian cancer than women who have not. The risk goes down with each full-term pregnancy. Breastfeeding may lower the risk even further. Women who have used oral contraceptives (also known as birth control pills or the pill) have a lower risk of ovarian cancer. The lower risk is seen after only 3 to 6 months of using the pill, and the risk is lower the longer the pills are used. This lower risk continues for many years after the pill is stopped. Ovarian cancer can run in families. Your ovarian cancer risk is increased if your mother, sister, or daughter has (or has had) ovarian cancer. The risk also gets higher the more relatives you have with
• Description of the disease ovarian cancer is cancer that develops in one or both ovaries--glands in females where reproductive eggs are made. Typically, the cancer forms on the ovary's surface. Although many cases of ovarian cancer aren't caught until the cancer has metastasized, or spread, outside of the ovaries, improvements in treatment and diagnosis have increased survival rates. Ovarian cancer comes in several varieties. The most common type, epithelial tumors, occurs on the outside lining, or epithelium, of the ovary. Cancer can also develop inside the eggs contained in the ovary. These tumors are called germ cell carcinomas. A third type can form in the tissue cells that make up the ovary and produce hormones. Tumors of this type are called stromal carcinomas.
•Risk factors for the disease the risk of developing ovarian cancer gets higher with age. Ovarian cancer is rare in women younger than 40. Most ovarian cancers develop after menopause. Half of all ovarian cancers are found in women 63 years of age or older. Various studies have looked at the relationship of obesity and ovarian cancer. Overall, it seems that obese women (those with a body mass index of at least 30) have a higher risk of developing ovarian cancer. Women who have been pregnant and carried it to term have a lower risk of ovarian cancer than women who have not. The risk goes down with each full-term pregnancy. Breastfeeding may lower the risk even further. Women who have used oral contraceptives (also known as birth control pills or the pill) have a lower risk of ovarian cancer. The lower risk is seen after only 3 to 6 months of using the pill, and the risk is lower the longer the pills are used. This lower risk continues for many years after the pill is stopped. Ovarian cancer can run in families. Your ovarian cancer risk is increased if your mother, sister, or daughter has (or has had) ovarian cancer. The risk also gets higher the more relatives you have with