 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
|
|
||||||||
|
|
||||||||
|
|
||||||||
|
|||||||||
|
|||||||||
What is cancer of the ovary?
Cancer of the ovary is a disease in which cancer cells are found in the ovary. Approximately 25,000 women in the United States are diagnosed with this disease each year. The ovary is a small organ in the pelvis that makes female hormones and holds egg cells which, when fertilized, can develop into a baby. There are 2 ovaries: one located on the left side of the uterus (the hollow, pear-shaped organ where a baby grows) and one located on the right. This PDQ summary has information on cancer that occurs in the lining (epithelium) of the ovary. Cancer that is found in the egg-making cells in the ovary is called a germ cell tumor of the ovary.
Unfortunately, the vast majority of women with ovarian cancer are diagnosed with advanced disease. Although sometimes women with early ovarian cancer have symptoms, such as vague gastrointestinal discomfort, pelvic pressure, and pain, more often women with early ovarian cancer have no symptoms or very mild and nonspecific symptoms. By the time symptoms are present, women with ovarian cancer usually have advanced disease.
The above link will download a pdf file. If you don't have the Acrobat Reader, you can download it for free from Adobe's website.
