September is Ovarian Cancer Awareness Month
join with the aacr to find better ways to prevent and treat ovarian cancer
Ovarian cancer is a malignancy of the almond-shaped organs in the female reproductive system that produce eggs and certain hormones. It is the sixth leading cause of cancer death in women in the United States.
Ovarian cancer occurs in three types:
- Ovarian epithelial cancer begins in the tissue covering the ovary, in the lining of the fallopian tube, or in the peritoneum.
- Ovarian germ cell tumors start in the eggs, also known as germ cells.
- Ovarian borderline tumors begin in the tissue covering the ovary. Abnormal cells are present that may become cancer, but usually do not.
Ovarian epithelial cancer is closely related to cancers of the fallopian tubes (which deliver eggs from the ovaries to the uterus) and the peritoneum (which lines the abdominal wall and covers the abdominal organs), and all three cancers are diagnosed and treated in the same way.
Ovarian cancer may cause nonspecific symptoms, such as abdominal swelling or pain, or no symptoms at all. Further, no screening tests to date have been shown to decrease the rate of death from ovarian cancer. As a result, ovarian cancer often goes undetected until it has reached an advanced stage. The five-year relative survival rate is 51.6%.
About 1.1% of women will be diagnosed with ovarian cancer at some point in their lifetimes, according the NCI’s Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) Program. It was estimated that approximately 20,890 women in the United States would receive a diagnosis of ovarian cancer in 2025, according to SEER estimates. Furthermore, approximately 12,730 women are estimated to die from the disease.
Family history and inherited gene mutations such as BRCA1 and BRCA2 are among the risk factors for ovarian cancer. Others include obesity, endometriosis, and the use of hormone replacement therapy.
more on ovarian cancer Research
- The AACR’s Cancer Today magazine reported on a phase III trial that found combining relacorilant and nab-paclitaxel resulted in a modest improvement in median progression-free survival over nab-paclitaxel alone in patients with ovarian, primary peritoneal, or fallopian tube cancer that had progressed following treatment with a platinum-based chemotherapy.
- Cancer Today reported on another study that suggests heated chemotherapy delivered to the abdominal cavity extends survival in advanced ovarian cancer.
- Ovarian cancer has thus far been highly resistant to immunotherapies. Cancer Research Catalyst, the AACR’s official blog, examined how researchers are looking at different immunotherapy combinations to make important advances in the treatment of this cancer.
WHAT THE AACR IS DOING IN OVARIAN CANCER RESEARCH
Sponsoring Scientific Meetings
- On September 19-21, 2025, the AACR will hold the 7th Biennial Special Conference on Ovarian Cancer in Denver, Colorado. Researchers and clinicians will discuss the latest advances in early detection and treatment of ovarian cancer as well as issues related to survivorship.
Supporting Research Grants
The AACR has recently awarded research grants to investigators pursuing promising research in ovarian and related cancers.
- In 2024, Camilla Salvagno, PhD, of Weill Cornell Medicine, received an AACR-Incyte Immuno-oncology Research Fellowship. Her research focuses on developing new therapeutic strategies against ovarian cancer, including the generation and maintenance of TRM CD8+ T cells that eliminate metastatic ovarian cancer.
- In 2024, Aisha Mustapha, MBBS, MDRM, MRH, of Ahmadu Bello University, received an AACR Beginning Investigator Grant for Catalytic Research (BIG Cat). Her work involves assessing the genetic landscape of epithelial ovarian cancers in Nigeria.
- In 2024, Louise Fets, PhD, of MRC Laboratory of Medical Sciences, received a Victoria’s Secret Global Fund for Women’s Cancers Career Development Award, in Partnership With Pelotonia and the AACR. She is looking to better understand the mechanisms behind why ovarian cancer becomes resistant to treatment with PARP inhibitors.
for more information
Please see our page on ovarian cancer for information on prevention, screening and treatment.
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