Ovarian cancer
Ovarian epithelial cancer is a disease in which malignant (cancer) cells form in the tissue covering the ovary.
The ovaries are a pair of organs in the female reproductive system. They are located in the pelvis, one on each side of the uterus (the hollow, pear-shaped organ where a fetus grows). Each ovary is about the size and shape of an almond. The ovaries produce eggs and female hormones (chemicals that control the way certain cells or organs function).
Ovarian epithelial cancer is one type of cancer that affects the ovary. (Refer to the PDQ treatment summaries on Ovarian Germ Cell Tumors and Ovarian Low Malignant Potential Tumors for information about other types of ovarian cancer.)