Ovarian cancer may not cause obvious early symptoms. When symptoms develop, they can include abdominal or pelvic discomfort, bloating, urinary changes, early fullness and other gastrointestinal symptoms.
Abdominal or pelvic pain
BIMARIDUR HEALTH ENCYCLOPEDIA
Ovarian Cancer
Ovarian cancer is a group of cancers that can arise in the ovaries and related tissues of the female reproductive system. Ovarian, fallopian tube and primary peritoneal cancers can have similar biology and treatment.
Medical illustration
Female reproductive anatomy showing ovaries, fallopian tubes, uterus and surrounding pelvic structures.
ICDC56.9
Affected areaOvaries, fallopian tubes and pelvic or abdominal tissues; advanced disease may involve the peritoneum, lymph nodes or distant organs.
ContagiousnessOvarian cancer is not contagious and cannot be transmitted through ordinary contact or sexual contact.
01 • QUICK UNDERSTANDING
What is Ovarian Cancer?
02 • BODY & MECHANISM
What happens in the body?
Medical illustration
Female reproductive anatomy showing ovaries, fallopian tubes, uterus and surrounding pelvic structures.
Body structure involved
The ovaries are reproductive organs located on either side of the uterus. The fallopian tubes connect the area of the ovaries with the uterus.
How it starts
Ovarian cancers can arise from different cell types. High-grade serous carcinoma is a common epithelial ovarian cancer and may originate from cells associated with the fallopian tube.
What happens inside the body
Abnormal cells grow in ovarian or related reproductive tissues and may spread across the pelvic or abdominal lining. Some ovarian cancers can also spread through lymphatic or blood pathways.
03 • TYPES & CLASSIFICATION
Types and classification
Medical illustration
Visual showing epithelial, germ cell and stromal ovarian tumor categories.
Classification depends on histology, tumor grade, stage and molecular characteristics. Genetic and molecular testing can be important in selected patients.
Ovarian cancers include epithelial tumors, germ cell tumors and stromal tumors. Epithelial ovarian cancer is the most common broad category and includes several histologic types.
04 • SYMPTOMS
Symptoms and warning signs
Medical illustration
Visual showing persistent bloating, abdominal or pelvic pain, urinary urgency, early fullness and bowel symptoms.
Abdominal swelling or bloating
Feeling of pressure
Urinary urgency or frequency
Feeling full quickly
Pelvic lump
Constipation or other gastrointestinal symptoms
06 • CAUSES
What can cause this disease?
Medical illustration
Visual explaining inherited risk, family history and other factors associated with ovarian cancer risk.
The cause of most ovarian cancers is not known. Risk can be influenced by age, family history, inherited mutations such as BRCA-related risk and other reproductive or hormonal factors.
07 • RISK FACTORS
Who may have a higher risk?
1
Increasing age
2
Family history of ovarian or related cancers
3
Inherited BRCA-related or other cancer-predisposition mutations
4
Certain reproductive and hormonal factors
08 • DIAGNOSIS
How is Ovarian Cancer diagnosed?
Medical illustration
Symptoms/evaluation → pelvic examination → ultrasound or other imaging → laboratory assessment when appropriate → tissue diagnosis.
Evaluation may include medical history, pelvic examination, imaging such as ultrasound or CT, blood tests such as CA-125 in appropriate contexts, and tissue diagnosis when cancer is suspected.
Clinical evaluation
Persistent or worsening abdominal bloating
Persistent pelvic or abdominal pain
New urinary urgency or frequency
Early fullness or unexplained appetite change
Unexplained pelvic mass
Laboratory tests
CA-125 when clinically appropriate
Complete blood count when indicated
Blood chemistry tests
Other tumor-marker or molecular tests in selected cases
Imaging and scans
Pelvic ultrasound
Transvaginal ultrasound
CT scan
MRI in selected cases
PET-CT in selected circumstances
Special or confirmatory tests
Pelvic examination
Surgical evaluation
Biopsy or pathology examination
Genetic testing in selected patients
Molecular tumor testing when appropriate
09 • DIFFERENTIAL CONTEXT
Conditions that may look similar
Ovarian cysts
Uterine fibroids
Endometriosis
Irritable bowel syndrome
Urinary tract conditions
Other gastrointestinal disorders
10 • EXTENT / STAGE
Stages or severity
Medical illustration
Visual showing ovarian cancer from disease limited to ovary or tube through pelvic/abdominal spread and distant disease.
Ovarian cancer is staged from I through IV according to the extent of disease. Staging considers involvement of the ovaries or tubes, pelvic or abdominal spread, lymph nodes and distant disease.
Important:
Staging or grading systems differ between diseases. The information here is educational and should be interpreted by a qualified healthcare professional in the context of the individual case.
11 • TREATMENT
How is Ovarian Cancer treated?
Medical illustration
Treatment pathway showing surgery, chemotherapy and selected targeted or maintenance treatments.
Treatment commonly combines surgery and systemic therapy for many epithelial ovarian cancers. Depending on stage and tumor biology, treatment may include chemotherapy, targeted therapy and maintenance approaches.
Medicines that may be used
Chemotherapy is commonly used for many epithelial ovarian cancers.
Targeted medicines may be used for selected tumors.
Maintenance treatment may be appropriate for selected patients.
Supportive medicines can manage pain, nausea and other treatment effects.
Medicine safety:
Medicines listed here are for educational information only. Do not start, stop, or change a medicine without professional medical advice.
12 • COMPLICATIONS
Possible complications
Complications can include ascites, bowel or urinary obstruction, blood clots, malnutrition, pain, anemia, infection and complications of surgery or systemic therapy.
URGENT SAFETY INFORMATION
When should urgent medical help be considered?
Severe abdominal pain with vomiting or marked swelling
Inability to pass urine
Severe breathing difficulty associated with abdominal swelling
Heavy bleeding with fainting or severe weakness
Sudden chest pain or breathlessness
If symptoms are severe, rapidly worsening, or life-threatening, seek emergency medical care immediately.
13 • OUTLOOK
Prognosis and recovery outlook
Medical illustration
Factors affecting prognosis: stage, histology, grade, surgical outcome, molecular features and treatment response.
Outlook depends on stage, tumor type and grade, residual disease after surgery, molecular characteristics, response to treatment and recurrence status.
How to interpret these statistics
Survival statistics describe outcomes in groups of people and cannot predict exactly what will happen to one individual. Prognosis depends on factors such as cancer stage, tumor biology, treatment response, overall health, and follow-up.
14 • EPIDEMIOLOGY
How common is it?
IARC GLOBOCAN 2022 estimated 47,333 new ovarian cancer cases among women in India.
15 • PREVENTION
Risk reduction and prevention
There is no guaranteed way to prevent most ovarian cancers. People with strong inherited risk may discuss genetic counseling and risk-reducing strategies with specialists.
16 • PREPARE FOR YOUR VISIT
Questions you may ask your doctor
1
What type of ovarian tumor is suspected or confirmed?
2
What is the stage?
3
Is surgery recommended?
4
Should genetic testing be considered?
5
What systemic treatment is appropriate?
6
How will treatment response be monitored?
17 • FAQ
Frequently asked questions
Can ovarian cancer cause no symptoms?
Does bloating always mean ovarian cancer?
Is CA-125 a cancer diagnosis test?
Can ovarian cancer run in families?
Important medical information
BimariDur provides educational health information to help people understand diseases, symptoms, tests, and treatment concepts. It does not replace examination, diagnosis, or treatment by a qualified healthcare professional.
Do not delay professional medical care because of information read on BimariDur.