A surgical biopsy is the only way doctors can confirm a diagnosis of ovarian cancer. This fluid is then tested to confirm an ovarian cancer diagnosis. Unfortunately, biopsies cannot confirm the location of the cancer. If tests confirm a diagnosis of ovarian cancer, doctors use a process called staging to determine where the ovarian cancer has spread. For more information about this medical specialty, click here .
Doctors determine the stage of the cancer through surgery and microscopic evaluation of tissues.
Staging is very important, since it helps doctors determine the best course of treatment. Information about survival rates should be viewed as general, not taking into account individual differences. For information that puts statistics in perspective, from CancerGuide, click here . The ovarian cancer has developed in one or both ovaries but has not spread to any other organs. There is no cancer on the surface of the ovary, and laboratory examination does not reveal any cancer cells around the abdomen or pelvis.