J Am Coll Radiol 2007;4:586-589. Copyright © 2007 American College of Radiology
Marcia C. Javitt, MD
Ovarian cancer is the most common cause of cancer death from gynecologic malignancy in women. The diagnosis and treatment of ovarian cancer are especially challenging because of the high prevalence of benign disease in the ovaries and the tendency for late presentation of ovarian cancer after it has spread. The role of diagnostic imaging is in lesion detection, lesion characterization, preoperative staging, and the prediction of disease resectability that may require chemotherapy and later debulking for improved survival. Key Words: Ovarian cancer, diagnostic imaging, computed tomography, magnetic resonance imaging, ultrasonography, positron emission tomography, cancer antigen-125