This National Cancer Institute (NCI) booklet (NIH Publication No. 06-1561) is about ovarian epithelial cancer. It is the most common type of ovarian cancer. It begins in the tissue that covers the ovaries.

You will read about possible causes, symptoms, diagnosis, and treatment. You will also find lists of questions to ask your doctor. It may help to take this booklet with you to your next appointment.

Important terms appear in italics. By clicking on the term, you can get its definition. Most terms have a "sounds-like" spelling to show how to pronounce them. Definitions of more than 4,000 terms are also on the NCI Web site at http://www.cancer.gov/dictionary.

This booklet is not about ovarian germ cell tumors or other types of ovarian cancer. To find out about these types of ovarian cancer, please visit our Web site at http://www.cancer.gov/cancertopics/types/ovarian. Or, contact our Cancer Information Service. We can answer your questions about cancer. We can send you NCI booklets, fact sheets, and other materials. You can call 1-800-4-CANCER or instant message us through the LiveHelp service at http://www.cancer.gov/help.

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