WHO GETS OVARIAN CANCER AND WHAT CAUSES IT?
About 23,300 new cases of ovarian cancer are expected in 2002. Evidence suggests that the incidence of ovarian cancer is declining. The average age for the onset of ovarian cancer is about 60, although ovarian cancer can develop in women from the age of 20 to 90. The lifetime risk of ovarian cancer in women with no family history of the disease is approximately one in 70 (1.4%). Women with a history of ovarian cancer in one first-degree relative have an overall risk of 5% of developing the disease, but it may be higher in women with specific genetic factors. The majority of women with ovarian cancer have no family history of the disease, however, meaning that genetic inheritance is not the only risk factor. Genetic mutations causing abnormal cell growth and differentiation are the basis for all cancer. The great majority of genetic defects that cause cancer are due to unknown causes. Most likely overexposure to environmental assaults or errors that occur during cell division play a rol
