Causes
... An ovarian tumor is a growth of abnormal cells that may be either noncancerous (benign) or cancerous (malignant). Although benign tumors are made up of abnormal cells, these cells don''t spread to oth...

Risk factors
... Several factors may increase your risk of ovarian cancer. Having one or more of these risk factors doesn''t mean that you''re sure to develop ovarian cancer, but your risk may be higher than that of t...

When to seek medical advice
... See your doctor if you have persistent swelling, bloating, pressure or pain in your abdomen or pelvis. If you''ve already seen a doctor and received a diagnosis other than ovarian cancer, but you''re ...

Screening and diagnosis
... No standardized screening test exists to reliably detect ovarian cancer. Researchers haven''t yet found a screening tool that''s sensitive enough to detect ovarian cancer in its early stages and speci...

A New Test for Ovarian Cancer Is Making Headlines
... By Elisa Ross, M.D., Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology The February 16th 2002 edition of the cutting-edge medical journal, The Lancet, reports that researchers have found a promising new blood t...