eMedicine Specialties > Obstetrics and Gynecology > none

Ovarian Cancer: Follow-up

Author: Agustin A Garcia, MD, Associate Professor of Medicine, University of Southern California Keck School of Medicine
Contributor Information and Disclosures

Updated: Dec 13, 2007

Follow-up

Deterrence/Prevention

  • Pregnancy and the use of oral contraceptives significantly decrease the risk of ovarian cancer.
  • Prophylactic bilateral salpingo-oophorectomy is indicated in high-risk women, particularly women with a genetic predisposition for ovarian cancer (ie, BRCA carriers). Surgical prophylaxis decreases the risk by at least 90%. Not all cases of ovarian cancer are prevented as women are still at risk for developing primary peritoneal carcinomas.
  • No approved screening method is available for ovarian cancer. However, the use of transvaginal ultrasonography and CA-125 tumor marker is recommended in high-risk women.

Prognosis

  • The 5-year survival rates are as follows:

    • Stage I - 73%
    • Stage II - 45%
    • Stage III - 21%
    • Stage IV - Less than 5%

Patient Education

For excellent patient education resources, visit eMedicine’s Cancer and Tumors Center and Women's Health Center. Also, see eMedicine’s patient education articles Ovarian Cancer and Ovarian Cysts.

 
Acknowledgments

The authors and editors of eMedicine gratefully acknowledge the contributions of previous authors Omid Hamid and Anthony El-Khoueiry to the development and writing of this article.



More on Ovarian Cancer

Overview: Ovarian Cancer
Differential Diagnoses & Workup: Ovarian Cancer
Treatment & Medication: Ovarian Cancer
Follow-up: Ovarian Cancer
References
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References

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Further Reading

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Contributor Information and Disclosures

Author

Agustin A Garcia, MD, Associate Professor of Medicine, University of Southern California Keck School of Medicine
Agustin A Garcia, MD is a member of the following medical societies: American College of Physicians-American Society of Internal Medicine and American Medical Association
Disclosure: Nothing to disclose.

Medical Editor

Karen Loeb Lifford, MD, Director of General Gynecology, Associate Program Director, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Instructor, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School
Karen Loeb Lifford, MD is a member of the following medical societies: Association of Professors of Gynecology and Obstetrics, Massachusetts Medical Society, and Phi Beta Kappa
Disclosure: Nothing to disclose.

Pharmacy Editor

Francisco Talavera, PharmD, PhD, Senior Pharmacy Editor, eMedicine
Disclosure: Nothing to disclose.

Managing Editor

Antonio V Sison, MD, Program Director, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital
Antonio V Sison, MD is a member of the following medical societies: American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists and Association of Professors of Gynecology and Obstetrics
Disclosure: Nothing to disclose.

CME Editor

Frederick B Gaupp, MD, Consulting Staff, Department of Family Practice, Assumption Community Hospital
Frederick B Gaupp, MD is a member of the following medical societies: American Academy of Family Physicians
Disclosure: Nothing to disclose.

Chief Editor

Michel E Rivlin, MD, Associate Professor, Coordinator, Quality Assurance/Quality Improvement, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University of Mississippi School of Medicine
Michel E Rivlin, MD is a member of the following medical societies: American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, American Medical Association, Mississippi State Medical Association, and Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh
Disclosure: Nothing to disclose.

 
 
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