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  • Ovarian Cancer
    Ovarian cancer is cancer that develops in one or both the ovaries. It can then spread to other parts of the body. The annual incidence of ovarian cancer globally is 204,000. It has a high fatality rate as more than 70% are diagnosed at an advanced stage.  
Submitted by Content Loader on 17 December 2014

What is ovarian cancer

Ovarian cancer is cancer that develops in one or both the ovaries. It can then spread to other parts of the body.

Cancer in the ovaries can also be a secondary cancer, the result of metastasis from a primary cancer elsewhere in the body. 7% of ovarian cancers are due to metastases while the rest are primary cancers that occur in the ovaries itself. Cancer occurring primarily in breast or in gastrointestintinal tract most often tend to metastasise to the ovaries.

Ovarian cancer is the 18th most common cancer in the world. The annual incidence of ovarian cancer globally in 2018 was nearly 300,000. It has a high fatality rate as more than 70% are diagnosed at an advanced stage. In India, it is emerging as one of the most common malignancies affecting women (Changing trends in incidence of ovarian cancer - the Indian scenario). During the last decade, proportion of ovarian cancer varied from 1.7% to 8.7% (According to National Cancer Registry Programme, 2008).

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