Ovarian cancer, which begins in the cells of the ovaries, is the deadliest of gynecologic cancers. Each year, almost 22,000 women are diagnosed with the disease; each year, more than 15,000 die of it.

Those statistics are dismal because there is no early screening test and the symptoms are not well-known. Three out of four patients are diagnosed in the late stages. At that point, the disease has a 70 to 90 percent rate of recurrence. It’s very difficult to cure; the best that many patients can hope for is that they can manage it as a chronic disease.

Ovarian cancer can spread to other organs in the pelvis and abdomen or through the bloodstream or lymphatic system to other parts of the body.

There are three types of ovarian cancer. Epithelial tumors account for 90 percent of cases and generally occur in post-menopausal women. The other types are germ cell carcinomas and stromal carcinomas.

A woman can develop ovarian cancer at almost any age, but her risk increases with age. About two-thirds of cases occur at age 55 or older.

There appears to be a corelation between the number of menstrual cycles a woman experiences and her risk of developing ovarian cancer; the more cycles, the higher the risk.

Women who have inherited the BRCA1 or BRCA2 genetic mutation have a tendency to develop breast and ovarian cancers. These gene mutations account for 10 to 15 percent of ovarian cancer diagnoses.

Among other risk factors:

• Eastern European women and women of Ashkenazi Jewish descent.
• Women who have had breast or endometrial cancer.
• Women who have a first-degree relative who has had ovarian cancer.
• Hereditary nonpolyposis colorectal cancer or syndrome.
• Unexplained infertility, no pregnancies and no history of birth-control pill usage.
• Use of high-dose estrogen for long periods without progesterone.
• Obesity.

A woman can reduce by half her risk of developing ovarian cancer by using oral contraceptives for five years or more.

You can get more detailed information from the Ovarian Cancer National Alliance or order a brochure from the National Cancer Institute.

KNOW THE SYMPTOMS. LISTEN TO YOUR BODY. TAKE ACTION.