What is the history of ovarian cancer?
Ovarian cancer is the fifth leading cause of cancer death in women, the leading cause of death from gynecologic malignancies and the second most commonly diagnosed gynecologic malignancy [2]. It is idiopathic, meaning that the exact cause is unknown. The disease is more common in industrialized nations, with the exception of Japan. In the United States, females have a 1.4 % to 2.5 % (1 out of 40-60 women) lifelong chance of developing ovarian cancer. Older women are at highest risk. More than half of the deaths from ovarian cancer occur in women between 55 and 74 years of age and approximately one quarter of ovarian cancer deaths occur in women between 35 and 54 years of age. The risk for developing ovarian cancer appears to be affected by several factors. The more children a woman has, the lower her risk of ovarian cancer. Early age at first pregnancy, older ages of final pregnancy, and the use of some oral contraceptive pills have also been shown to have a protective effect. Ovarian
