Many are surprised to find that a woman is born with a set number of eggs and only a very small percentage of eggs are ever released. After menopause, the ovaries slowly involute and atrophy. If removed prior to menopause, estrogen hormone replacement therapy is usually given. An ovarian biopsy is uncommon but may be done for infertility evaluations. Usually the pathologist receives the entire ovary, often attached with the uterus and cervix.
Ovarian cancer can be a devastasting disease.
In 2000, about 23,100 women in the United States will be diagnosed with this disease and about 14,000 women will die of the disease. Pathologists were responsible for identifying a borderline malignant form of ovarian cancer that has a much better prognosis than most ovarian cancers. Recently, there has been excitement over the discovery of an ovarian cancer susceptibility gene. In one study that examined tumors arising in women carrying germline mutations of this gene, the tumors were more likely to be high grade and nonmucinous. There was also an absence of borderline tumors suggesting that mutations in this gene do not play a role in the development of these tumors.