The natural history of ovarian cancer may depend on different anatomo-clinical and biological factors. Residual disease, when less than 1 cm, is another important prognostic factor, being significantly associated to the survival and, progression free, improvement in the survival. The exception to this rule is when cisplatin regimen is assessed, as it can highly reduce the relapse rate while the survival is not significantly influenced.
Ovarian cancers disseminate, primarily by continuity.
At the time of diagnosis, bone or brain metastases are rarely present and their presence is not related to the histology or grading of the tumor.