Ovarian Cancer Resource Center
Health ConditionsCancerOvarian Cancer

Ovarian Cancer

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Ovarian cancer is a disease that originates in the ovaries, the fallopian tubes, or the tissues surrounding these structures.

 Ovarian cancer does not always cause symptoms until the disease is advanced.

 Treatments for ovarian cancer include surgery, chemotherapy, radiation, immunotherapy, and hormonal therapies.

   Poll

What was your first noticeable symptom of ovarian cancer?

FAQ

Can ovarian cancer be found early?

Only around 20 percent of ovarian cancers are found at an early stage. This is because this type of cancer rarely causes symptoms and there are currently no reliable screening tests for the disease.

The most common type of ovarian cancer is called epithelial ovarian cancer, which develops in the epithelial cells on the surface of the ovary, fallopian tubes, or the peritoneum (abdominal cavity). Around 90 percent of ovarian cancers originate with epithelial tumors.

Combination birth control pills — those that contain estrogen and progestin — have been found to help prevent ovarian cancer. Removal of the ovaries (oophorectomy) or of the ovaries and the fallopian tubes (salpingo-oopherectomy) is another option in women who aren’t planning to have children or are past childbearing age.

Meet Our Experts In Ovarian Cancer
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Tingting Tan, MD, PhD

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Tingting Tan, MD, PhD, is a medical oncologist at City of Hope National Medical Center.

Dr. Tan's research has been published in multiple medical and scientific journals, including...

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Tawee Tanvetyanon, MD, MPH

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Tawee Tanvetyanon, MD, MPH, is a professor of oncologic sciences and senior member at H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center and Morsani College of Medicine at the University of South Florid...

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Castle Connolly Top Doctor, Member of American College of Lifestyle Medicine
Walter Tsang, MD, is a board-certified medical oncologist, hematologist, and lifestyle medicine specialist. Inspired by the ancient Eastern philosophy of yang sheng ("nourishing li...
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Nimit Sudan, MD

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Nimit Sudan, MD, is a hematologist and medical oncologist with UCLA. He is an assistant clinical professor at UCLA and serves as a lead physician at the Encino community practice. ...

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Lindsey Marcellin, MD, MPH

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Lindsey Marcellin, MD, MPH is an internal medicine specialist with extensive clinical experience in multiple practice settings. Dr. Marcellin is a past medical director of both fee...

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Thomas Urban Marron, MD, PhD

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Thomas Marron, MD, PhD, is the assistant director of early phase and immunotherapy clinical trials at the Tisch Cancer Institute of the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai in N...
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Conor Steuer, MD

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Conor E. Steuer, MD, is medical oncologist specializing in the care of aerodigestive cancers, mesothelioma, and thymic malignancies and an assistant professor in the department of ...

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Daniel Landau, MD, is a distinguished board-certified hematologist-oncologist with a career that has spanned two eminent institutions: the Orlando Health Cancer Institute and the M...

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Ryland J. Gore, MD, MPH

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Resources
  1. Ovarian Cancer. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. September 12, 2024.
  2. Tests for Ovarian Cancer. American Cancer Society. November 17, 2022.
  3. Treating Ovarian Cancer. American Cancer Society.

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