Health encyclopaedia

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Cancer of the ovary

Ovarian cancer is the fourth commonest cause of death from cancer amongst women in the UK. Each year in the UK, there are approximately 6,800 new cases of ovarian cancer diagnosed and there are approximately 4,650 deaths annually from ovarian cancer. There is a life- time risk of 48:1 over a life- time. It is much more common between the ages of 50 and 80, although it can occur younger. The average age a woman is diagnosed is 63.

Cancer of the ovary is more common in women who have never had children than in those who have.

The long- term use of oral contraceptives reduces the risk by three-quarters. The condition can run in families. A woman with one close relative with the disease has an increased risk of getting it.

If caught early, when the cancer is still confined to the ovaries it can be cured with surgical treatment. However early diagnosis is difficult because symptoms are often vague. It is sometimes called 'the silent killer' because it often develops undetected until it has grown and spread, displacing and invading the womb (uterus) and spreading widely within the pelvis and abdomen. About two-thirds of women have cancer that has already spread beyond the pelvis at the time of diagnosis.

• Symptoms
• Causes
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