Ovarian cancer develops in the ovaries, the female reproductive glands that produce eggs during a woman’s reproductive years. The ovaries also produce the hormones oestrogen and progesterone. Ovarian cancer develops when cells in the ovaries grow in an uncontrolled manner.
Types of ovarian cancer
The type of cell where cancer begins determines the type of ovarian cancer – Ovarian cancer types include:
- Epithelial tumours – start in the thin layer of tissue that covers the outside of the ovaries. About 90 per cent of ovarian cancers are epithelial tumours.
- Stromal tumours – begin in the ovarian tissue that contains hormone-producing cells. These tumours get diagnosed at an earlier stage than other ovarian tumours.
- Germ cell tumours –  begin in the egg-producing cells. These rare ovarian cancers tend to occur in younger women.
