Every woman in the United States has an approximate 1.5 percent risk of developing ovarian cancer in her lifetime.  The most common type of ovarian cancer is an epithelial tumor.  This type accounts for 65 percent of ovarian cancers and most commonly occurs in women between the ages of 50 to 70.  

The second most common are germ cell tumors, which usually occur in younger women and are noted for their high cure rate.  This higher cure rate over epithelial ovarian cancers is probably due to the finding of effective chemotherapy and specific tumor markers.  Other types of ovarian cancer, such as sex cord stromal and sarcoma, are fortunately very rare. 

This website will focus on the most common type of ovarian cancer, epithelial carcinoma.