Ovarian and Peritoneal Borderline Neoplasms: Histopathology, Diagnostic Pitfalls, and Prognostication.

Ovarian epithelial cancer affects over 26,000 American women annually, and it accounts for approximately 5% of all cancers exclusive of cutaneous epithelial malignancies and many in situ carcinomas except bladder.[1] Over 80% of ovarian carcinomas are of surface epithelial origin.[2] Ovarian surface epithelial cancer represents approximately 50% of all pelvic malignancies and kills annually more than 14,500 women compared with 5,900 and 4,800 deaths related to endometrial and cervical cancer, respectively.[2] Clinical discovery of ovarian surface epithelial cancer is often late[3] and the relative five-year survival for ovarian surface epithelial cancer of 42% contrasts with survival figures of 70% for cervical cancer and 85% for endometrial cancer.[1] These statistics reflect our limited comprehension of the natural history of ovarian surface epithelial cancer.