Home > Encyclopedia of Genetic Disorders > Ovarian cancer

Definition

Ovarian cancer is a disease in which the cells in the ovaries become abnormal and start to grow uncontrollably, forming tumors. Ninety percent of all ovarian cancers develop in the cells that line the surface of the ovaries and are called "epithelial cell tumors."

Description

The ovaries are a pair of almond-shaped organs that lie in the pelvis on either side of the uterus. The fallopian tubes connect the ovaries to the uterus. The ovaries produce and release an egg each month during a woman's menstrual cycle. In addition, they also produce the female hormones estrogen and progesterone, which regulate and maintain the proper growth and development of female sexual characteristics.

Ovarian cancer is the fifth most common cancer among women in the United States. It accounts...