Ovarian Cancer - Introduction

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Click the icon to see an image of ovarian cancer.

Ovarian Cancer Progression

Ovarian cancer progresses almost silently, usually with vague symptoms. By the time serious 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:

• Diaphragm
• Intestine
• Omentum (a layer of fatty tissue in the abdomen)

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

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Other Ovarian Growths

Not all ovarian growths are malignant. Benign ovarian cysts are common and are distinct from ovarian cancer.

Ovarian cysts 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, 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, instead filling 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.

Review Date: 11/04/2010
Reviewed By: Harvey Simon, MD, Associate Professor of Medicine, Harvard Medical School; Physician, Massachusetts General Hospital. Also reviewed by David Zieve, MD, MHA, Medical Director, A.D.A.M., Inc.

A.D.A.M., Inc. is accredited by URAC, also known as the American Accreditation HealthCare Commission (www.urac.org).