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World J Transl Med. Apr 12, 2014; 3(1): 1-8
Published online Apr 12, 2014. doi: 10.5528/wjtm.v3.i1.1
Epithelial ovarian cancer: An overview
Arpita Desai, Jingyao Xu, Kartik Aysola, Yunlong Qin, Chika Okoli, Ravipati Hariprasad, Ugorji Chinemerem, Candace Gates, Avinash Reddy, Omar Danner, Geary Franklin, Anachebe Ngozi, Guilherme Cantuaria, Karan Singh, William Grizzle, Charles Landen, Edward E Partridge, Valerie Montgomery Rice, E Shyam P Reddy, Veena N Rao
Arpita Desai, Department of Internal Medicine, University of Buffalo, Erie County Medical Center, Buffalo, NY 14215, United States
Jingyao Xu, Kartik Aysola, Yunlong Qin, Chika Okoli, Candace Gates, Avinash Reddy, Geary Franklin, Anachebe Ngozi, Valerie Montgomery Rice, E Shyam P Reddy, Veena N Rao, Department of OB/GYN, Cancer Biology Program, Morehouse School of Medicine, Georgia Cancer Center for Excellence, Grady Health System, Atlanta, GA 30303, United States
Ravipati Hariprasad, Ugorji Chinemerem, Department of Internal Medicine, Morehouse School of Medicine, Grady Health System, Atlanta, GA 30303, United States
Omar Danner, Department of Surgery, Morehouse School of Medicine, Grady Health System, Atlanta, GA 30303, United States
Guilherme Cantuaria, NCI Cancer Program, Northside Hospital, Atlanta, GA 30342, United States
Karan Singh, William Grizzle, Charles Landen, Edward E Partridge, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Comprehensive Cancer Center, Birmingham AL 35294, United States
Author contributions: All the authors contributed to this paper.
Supported by In part by Georgia Cancer Coalition Distinguished Cancer Scholar award, NIH-NCRR-RCMI, No. G-12-RR003034, No. U54 RR02613, and No. 5P20RR11104; NIHMD research endowment, No. 2S21MD000101, and No. U54CA118638; and ING foundation grant to Rao VN
Correspondence to: Veena N Rao, Professor and Co-Director Cancer Biology Program, GCC Distinguished Cancer Scholar, Department of OB/GYN, Cancer Biology Program, Morehouse School of Medicine, Georgia Cancer Center for Excellence, Grady Health System, Room 10C011, 80 Jesse Hill Jr. Drive, Atlanta, GA 30303, United States. vrao@msm.edu
Telephone: +1-404-4899993 Fax: +1-404-4899220
Received: November 6, 2013
Revised: February 17, 2014
Accepted: February 20, 2014
Published online: April 12, 2014
Processing time: 189 Days and 11 Hours
Abstract

Ovarian cancer is the second most common gynecological cancer and the leading cause of death in the United States. In this article we review the diagnosis and current management of epithelial ovarian cancer which accounts for over 95 percent of the ovarian malignancies. We will present various theories about the potential origin of ovarian malignancies. We will discuss the genetic anomalies and syndromes that may cause ovarian cancers with emphasis on Breast cancer type 1/2 mutations. The pathology and pathogenesis of ovarian carcinoma will also be presented. Lastly, we provide a comprehensive overview of treatment strategies and staging of ovarian cancer, conclusions and future directions.

Keywords: Epithelial ovarian cancer; Breast cancer type 1; Chemotherapy

Core tip: Epithelial ovarian cancer (EOC) is one of the most common gynecological cancers. We present a number of theories on the origin of EOC including the recent hypothesis that the fallopian tube is the primary site of most serous carcinomas. We also discuss genetic anomalies that may cause ovarian cancer. The pathology of ovarian cancer by malignant transformation of the epithelium of the ovarian surface, peritoneum or fallopian tube is also presented. Finally we provide an overview of ovarian cancer treatment options, comparing various chemotherapy regimens and future predictive biomarkers and functional assays for targeted therapy for breast cancer type 1 associated EOC.