Types of ovarian cancer
This page tells you about the different types of ovarian cancer. There is information about
Types of ovarian cancer
This information is about 'epithelial' cancer of the ovary. This makes up between 80 and 90% of all tumours of the ovary. The rest are mostly 'germ cell' tumours. These are a group of cancers of the egg-making cells of the ovary. Other rarer cancers can also affect the ovary, for example, sarcomas.
Epithelial ovarian cancer starts in the surface layer covering the ovary. There are a variety of types. They are grouped together according to their behaviour and cell type. The behaviour of cancers means how quickly or slowly they grow. Doctors usually call this the grade of the cancer. They group the cancers together as borderline, well differentiated, moderately differentiated and poorly or undifferentiated.
Cancer cells that look very like normal cells are described as well differentiated. They tend to grow and spread more slowly than cancer with undifferentiated cells. The treatment of borderline ovarian tumours can be different to other types of ovarian cancer because they are unlikely to spread.
There are also many different ovarian cancer cell types. This doesn't make a great deal of difference to the course or treatment of the disease. But you may hear your doctor talk about serous, mucinous, endometrioid, clear cell, undifferentiated or unclassifiable ovarian cancer. More than half the diagnosed cases of epithelial ovarian cancer are the serous type.
This type of ovarian cancer makes up between 80 and 90% of all tumours of the ovary. So this section of CancerHelp UK discusses treatment for epithelial ovarian cancer.
Epithelial ovarian cancer means the cancer started in the surface layer covering the ovary. There are various types of epithelial cancers of the ovary but they behave in a similar way and are treated in the same way. They include
- Serous - makes up more than half the diagnosed cases of epithelial ovarian cancer
- Mucinous
- Endometrioid
- Clear cell
- Undifferentiated or unclassifiable
About one in ten epithelial ovarian cancers are undifferentiated or unclassifiable. These tumours have cells that are very undeveloped, so it is not possible to tell which type of cell the cancer started from.
Around 1 in 10 ovarian cancers (10%) are germ cell tumours. They start from the egg making cells of the ovary. We have information about ovarian teratoma (a type of germ cell tumour) in the question and answer section of CancerHelp UK.
Other, even rarer, types of cancer can affect the ovary, for example, sarcomas. This section does not cover these rarer types of ovarian cancer. Look in help and support for organisations that produce cancer information. They will be able to give you the information you need about your type of cancer.
The grading of cancers means how the cells look under the microscope. This affects how quickly or slowly they are likely to grow. Doctors group ovarian cancers together as
- Borderline
- Well differentiated
- Moderately differentiated
- Poorly or undifferentiated
Borderline ovarian tumours make up about 15% of epithelial ovarian tumours. They are also called tumours of low malignant potential. This means they are very unlikely to spread. And so are usually easier to cure. The treatment of borderline ovarian tumours can be different to the treatment of other types of ovarian cancer.
As a normal cell grows and matures, it becomes specialised for its role and place in the body. This is called differentiation. Cancer cells can look very like normal cells and are described as well differentiated or low grade. These cancers tend to grow and spread very slowly.
Or the cells can look very primitive and underdeveloped and are known as undifferentiated or high grade cancer. These cancers tend to grow and spread more quickly than low grade ovarian cancers.
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