Why ovarian cancer

Symptoms of ovarian cancer Symptoms can include feeling full quickly, bloating, an increased tummy size or needing to wee more often. Risks and causes Factors that increase the risk of ovarian cancer include getting older and inherited faulty genes. Types of ovarian cancer Most ovarian cancers start in the cells covering the ovaries and are called epithelial ovarian cancers. Stages and grades The stage tells you how big your cancer is and whether it has spread.

Getting diagnosed You usually start by seeing your GP and they might refer you to a specialist and organise tests.

Treatment The main treatments for ovarian cancer are surgery and chemotherapy. Survival Survival depends on many factors including the stage and type of your ovarian cancer. Research and clinical trials Research trials aim to find out if new treatments are safe and better than those currently available for ovarian cancer. Living with ovarian cancer Getting practical and emotional support can help you cope with a diagnosis of cancer. Coronavirus and cancer. The cells multiply quickly and can invade and destroy healthy body tissue.

The female reproductive system contains two ovaries, one on each side of the uterus. The ovaries, fallopian tubes, uterus, cervix and vagina vaginal canal make up the female reproductive system.

When ovarian cancer first develops, it might not cause any noticeable symptoms. When ovarian cancer symptoms happen, they're usually attributed to other, more common conditions. It's not clear what causes ovarian cancer, though doctors have identified things that can increase the risk of the disease. Doctors know that ovarian cancer begins when cells in or near the ovaries develop changes mutations in their DNA. A cell's DNA contains the instructions that tell the cell what to do.

The changes tell the cells to grow and multiply quickly, creating a mass tumor of cancer cells. The cancer cells continue living when healthy cells would die. They can invade nearby tissues and break off from an initial tumor to spread metastasize to other parts of the body. The type of cell where the cancer begins determines the type of ovarian cancer you have and helps your doctor determine which treatments are best for you. Ovarian cancer types include:.

Inherited gene changes. A small percentage of ovarian cancers are caused by genes changes you inherit from your parents. These genes also increase the risk of breast cancer. Ovarian cancer care at Mayo Clinic. Mayo Clinic does not endorse companies or products. Advertising revenue supports our not-for-profit mission. This content does not have an English version. This content does not have an Arabic version. This would explain how removing the uterus or blocking the fallopian tubes affects ovarian cancer risk.

Researchers have made great progress in understanding how certain mutations changes in DNA can cause normal cells to become cancerous. DNA is the chemical that carries the instructions for nearly everything our cells do.

We usually look like our parents because they are the source of our DNA. However, DNA affects more than the way we look. Some genes parts of our DNA contain instructions for controlling when our cells grow and divide. Mutations in these genes can lead to the development of cancer. A small portion of ovarian cancers occur in women with inherited mutations linked to an increased risk of ovarian cancer. Genetic tests can detect mutations associated with these inherited syndromes.