OVARIAN CANCER

What is ovarian cancer?

Cancer is a disease in which certain body cells don't function right, divide very fast, and produce too much tissue that forms a tumour. Ovarian cancer is cancer in the ovaries, the female reproductive organs located in the pelvis.

The ovaries make female hormones and store eggs that, if fertilized by sperm, can develop into a baby. Women have two ovaries, one on each side of the uterus. Tumours found in the ovaries may be non-cancerous tissue growths (cysts) or cancerous growths that may spread to other parts of the body.

Most cases occur in women over the age of 50, but this disease can also affect younger women. Ovarian cancer causes more deaths than any other cancer of the female reproductive system.

The sooner ovarian cancer is found and treated, the better a woman's chance for recovery. But ovarian cancer is hard to detect early. Many times, women with ovarian cancer have no symptoms or just mild symptoms until the disease is in an advanced stage.

Types of ovarian cancer