Ovarian Cancer Definition

In ovarian cancer – colloquially called ovarian cancer – (synonyms: Malignant neoplasm of the ovary; Malignant granulosa cell tumor; Malignant Leydig cell tumor in women; Malignant androblastoma in women; Malignant arrhenoblastoma in women; Carcinoma ovarii; Dermoid tumor with malignant transformation; Dermoid cyst with malignant transformation; Dysgerminoma ovarii; Endometrioid cystadenocarcinoma in woman; Extraovarian ovarian carcinoma; Granulosa cell carcinoma; Colloid cystadenoma; Malignant Brenner tumor; Malignant ovarian tumor; malignant folliculoma; papillary cystadenocarcinoma; papillary cystadenoma of the ovary with borderline malignancy; papillocystic adenocarcinoma; papillocystic carcinoma; pseudomucinous adenocarcinoma; pseudomucinous cystadenocarcinoma; serous cystadenocarcinoma; serous cystadenoma of the ovary with borderline malignancy; sertoli cell carcinoma in women; struma ovarii maligna; thecoma malignum; theca cell carcinoma; female dysgerminoma; ICD-10-GM C56: Malignant neoplasm of the ovary) is a malignant (malignant) neoplasm in the area of the ovaries. The starting point of the development is the different structures of the ovary (epithelium, germinal stroma, germ cells) (see classification).

In common parlance, one speaks of ovarian carcinoma when referring to the common epithelial tumor. It accounts for 60-80% of all ovarian cancers and is the third most common malignant (malignant) tumor in women.

About 10% of ovarian cancers are genetic. Characteristic of hereditary ovarian cancers is a clustered occurrence within the family, usually associated with a clustered occurrence of mammary carcinoma (breast cancer). If a germline mutation has been detected in a responsible gene, e.g. BRCA1, BRCA2, MLH1, MSH2 or TP53, the lifetime risk of ovarian cancer is increased 3 to 50-fold. This corresponds to a lifetime risk of developing ovarian cancer of up to 60%.

Peak incidence: the risk of developing ovarian cancer increases sharply after the age of 60, but women under the age of 40 are also affected in approximately 10% of cases.

The 5-year prevalence (incidence of disease in the preceding five years) in 2006 was 26,000 women in Germany.

The incidence (frequency of new cases) is about 14-15 cases per 100,000 inhabitants per year in Europe. There is a north-south gradient: Scandinavia has an incidence of 13.9-15.3/100,000 inhabitants per year and for the countries England, France, Switzerland and Germany the incidence is 7.8-13.2/100,00 inhabitants per year. In rural areas of Japan, the incidence is 2-4 diseases per 100,000 inhabitants per year. Approximately 1-2% of all women develop the disease during their lifetime.

Course and prognosis: Patients with ovarian cancer have rather poor survival prospects compared to patients with other cancers. This is partly due to the fact that this type of tumor is usually only discovered at an advanced stage. Less than 40% of ovarian cancers today are detected at stage I or II, when a cure is still possible. Ovarian cancer can be recurrent (recurring). The recurrence rate for advanced ovarian cancer is 65%. If the recurrence occurs early, the prognosis is poor.

Mortality (number of deaths in a given period, based on the number of the population in question) is 5,500 women per year in Germany.

The 5-year survival rate is approximately 45%, and the 10-year survival rate is 35%. 70% of ovarian cancers are diagnosed in the advanced stages (FIGO IIB-IV); the 5-year survival rate of these patients is less than 40% – in contrast, early tumor stages (FIGO I-IIA) have a 5-year survival rate of > 80%!

Comorbidities (concomitant diseases): ovarian cancer is increasingly associated with psychiatric disorders such as depression (35%).