Ovarian cancer will be the eighth most commonly diagnosed cancer in women in the United States in 2008. It is estimated that a woman’s risk of developing invasive ovarian cancer sometime during her lifetime is about one in 71.
The ovaries are two small glands located in the lower part of a woman's pelvis on each side of the uterus. They produce the eggs (ova) associated with childbearing. They also produce the female sex hormones estrogen and progesterone.
Ovarian cancer develops when your body rapidly produces unnecessary cells. These out-of-control cells can form a mass called a tumor inside your ovary. Although often these masses are often benign, or noncancerous, and do not turn into cancer, cancer can form. Ovarian tumors most commonly start in the epithelial cells that cover the outer surface of the ovary. These cancerous epithelial tumors are called carcinomas.
The exact cause of ovarian cancer is not known. Among the suggested risk factors for ovarian cancer are a family history of ovarian cancer; a personal history of breast or colon cancer; and increased age (being over 50 years old). Other possible risk factors relating to a woman's reproductive system include early age (before 12 years old) at the start of monthly periods; late menopause (after 52 years old); having a first child after the age of 30 years; infertility (inability to become pregnant); and taking hormone replacement therapy after menopause.