This week's artwork was donated by Sharon, a pediatric cancer patient who received treatment at The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia . The PDQ editorial boards use a formal ranking system to help the reader judge the strength of evidence linked to the reported results of a therapeutic strategy.
Several malignancies arise from the ovary.
Epithelial carcinoma of the ovary is one of the most common gynecologic malignancies and the fifth most frequent cause of cancer death in women, with half of all cases occurring in women over age 65. The highest risk appears in women with 2 or more first-degree relatives with ovarian cancer. In most families affected with the breast and ovarian cancer syndrome or site-specific ovarian cancer, genetic linkage has been found to the BRCA1 locus on chromosome 17q21. The lifetime risk for developing ovarian cancer in patients harboring germ-line mutations in BRCA1 is substantially increased over the general population. Therefore, these women may have been more vigilant and inclined to participate in cancer screening programs that may have led to earlier detection.