Ovarian cancer

The cause of ovarian cancer is often not known. There are several types of ovarian cancer. The most common type starts in the fallopian tube. Sometimes there is a hereditary cause. However, this is only the case for a minority of women.

Ovarian cancer can spread without causing symptoms. As a result, it sometimes takes a long time before you notice something. Possible symptoms of ovarian cancer include:

• Bloated belly
• Feeling full quickly
• No hunger or appetite for food
• Nausea
• An annoying or pressing feeling at the bottom of the abdomen
• Needing to urinate more often than usual

Other possible complaints are:

• Gastrointestinal complaints, such as constipation or diarrhea
• Being very tired all the time
• Losing weight for no apparent reason
• Unexpected (abnormal) bleeding: blood loss after menopause, or blood loss between menstruations.

Sometimes several people in a family have ovarian cancer. This is usually a coincidence, but can also be due to a hereditary cause: an abnormality in the DNA.

Read more about heredity and ovarian cancer

A tumor in the ovaries can spread to other parts of the body. We call this metastatic ovarian cancer. The growth and spread of ovarian cancer is influenced by a number of factors, including the type of ovarian cancer and its stage of development.

The most common site for ovarian cancer metastases is the peritoneum, the thin membrane that lines the abdominal cavity and covers organs such as the uterus, intestines, and bladder.

Ovarian cancer that has spread through the body is also called metastatic ovarian cancer.