I. What are the ovaries? The ovaries are part of the female reproductive system. The reproductive system is the group of organs in the body that nurtures the fetus. Two ovaries are located in the pelvic cavity between the hip bones, one on the left side of the uterus and the other on the right side of the uterus. Each ovary is connected to the uterus by a fallopian tube. If a woman does not have at least one ovary and one uterus, she will not have a menstrual cycle and will not be able to get pregnant. What causes ovarian cancer? Cells are the basic components of human tissue, growing and dividing to form new cells. However, while normal cells know when to stop growing, cancer cells do not know when to stop growing. Cancer cells will keep growing out of control, resulting in a pile of cells called a primary tumor. Cancer cells keep proliferating because of genetic changes (mutations). Genes are the instructions in the cell that control how the cell grows. Although rare, there are still ovarian cancers that are caused by mutations in genes that are passed down from parents to their children. III. What is ovarian cancer? Epithelial cells form the outer layer of tissue surrounding the ovary, a layer called the epithelium. Most ovarian cancers originate from epithelial cells. Ovarian cancer that originates from these cells is called epithelial ovarian cancer, but it is only one type of ovarian cancer. Ovarian cancer cells can grow out of control and spread and grow into (invade) other tissues and organs. What is junctional ovarian tumor? Cells in junctional ovarian tumors have the abnormal ability to spread from the ovary to other organs in the abdominal cavity and to grow on other organs. However, they do not yet have the abnormal ability to invade normal tissues. They are not normal, but they are not definitively cancerous either. Intersecting ovarian tumors (also called tumors of low malignant potential) are uncommon. It can usually grow so large that it compresses other organs, but its cells do not grow to invade normal tissues, whereas cancer cells do. V. How does ovarian cancer spread? Unlike normal cells, cancer cells can spread to other parts of the body and form tumors, a process called metastasis. Cancer cells can damage and replace normal tissues, resulting in organ dysfunction. Ovarian cancer cells can be shed from the primary tumor and form new tumors on the surface of adjacent organs and tissues in the abdominal cavity, which are called “seeds” or “implants”. These are called “seeds” or “implants.” Implants that grow into the supporting tissues of adjacent organs are called invasive implants. Ovarian cancer cells can also metastasize throughout the body via lymph and blood. Lymph is a clear, bright fluid that nourishes cells and is rich in white blood cells that fight bacteria. Lymph nodes are special groups of cells that fight disease and are found throughout the body. They engulf germs from the lymphatic fluid, just as blood does in the blood vessels, and these lymphatic fluids flow throughout the body in the lymphatic vessels. Lymph nodes and lymphatic vessels are found everywhere in the body. Metastasis makes cancer more dangerous, whereas junctional ovarian tumors are less dangerous. This is because junctional ovarian tumors have non-invasive implants that grow on the surface of the organ but are not invasive. In conclusion, the ovary is the organ that helps a woman conceive a fetus; ovarian cancer usually originates from cells on the surface of the ovary; cancer cells form tumors because they do not die normally; cancer cells can be shed from the primary tumor and grow in adjacent tissues and organs, and can also spread to various organs throughout the body via lymph and blood; and junctional ovarian tumors have abnormal cells that have not yet been identified as cancerous.