Medical Health Encyclopedia

Stromal Tumors. Stromal tumors, which account for 6% of all ovarian cancers, develop from connective tissue cells that hold the ovary together and that produce the female hormones, estrogen and progesterone. Stromal tumors do not usually spread, in which case the prognosis is good. If they spread, however, they can be more difficult to treat than others.

Click the icon to see an image of ovarian cancer.

Ovarian Cancer Progression

Ovarian cancer is called the silent killer because it progress almost silently, with vague symptoms. By the time symptoms do appear, the ovarian tumor may have grown large enough to shed cancer cells throughout the abdomen. At such an advanced stage, the cancer is more difficult to cure.

Ovarian cancer cells that have spread outside the ovaries are referred to as metastatic ovarian cancers. Ovarian tumors tend to spread to the following locations:

• The diaphragm.
• The intestine.
• The omentum (a fatty layer that covers and pads organs in the abdomen).

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Cancer cells can also spread to other organs through lymph channels and the bloodstream.

Other Ovarian Growths

Not all ovarian tumors are malignant. Benign cysts, dermoid tumors, and borderline malignant tumors all are distinct from ovarian cancer.

Benign Cysts. Benign cysts are common and typically develop in one of two ways:

• Follicular Cysts. During normal ovulation, follicles (the little sacs in the ovary) expel eggs. If the egg is not expelled associated fluids and other substances can build up inside the follicle, forming a follicular cyst.
• Corpus Luteum Cysts. Benign cysts may form when an egg has been released, but the emptied follicle (now called the corpus luteum) does not break down normally but fills with blood from nearby blood vessels.

Both follicular cysts and corpus luteum cysts are normal parts of the menstrual cycle and nearly always resolve within one or two cycles without treatment.