Compared with more common problems such as breast cancer, ovarian cancer is relatively rare. The chances of developing it are 1 in 100. Like all cancers, the disease is the result of unrestrained multiplication of cells.
Normal cells divide in a planned way, creating more cells only when needed.
Cancerous cells grow and divide without control or order, often making excess tissue that becomes a tumor. Cancer cells may grow into nearby healthy tissue, or they may break away from the tumor and travel through the blood stream or lymphatic system to other parts of the body, such as the liver, bone, or brain. Ovarian cancer is dangerous because it's very hard to detect in its early stages. So by the time symptoms appear, the cancer has often had time to spread. During its early stages, ovarian cancer is usually symptom-free.