Ovarian Cancer Classification

Ovarian Cancer Classification: Ovarian cancer is classified according to the histology of the tumor, obtained in a pathology report. Histology dictates many aspects of clinical treatment, management, and prognosis.

Surface epithelial-stromal tumour, also known as ovarian epithelial carcinoma, is the most common type of ovarian cancer. It includes serous tumour, endometrioid tumor and mucinous cystadenocarcinoma.
Sex cord-stromal tumor, including estrogen-producing granulosa cell tumor and virilizing Sertoli-Leydig cell tumor or arrhenoblastoma, accounts for 8% of ovarian cancers.
Germ cell tumor accounts for approximately 30% of ovarian tumors but only 5% of ovarian cancers.[citation needed] It tends to occur in young women and girls. The prognosis depends on the specific histology of germ cell tumor, but overall is favorable. Mixed tumors, containing elements of more than one of the above classes of tumor histology.
Ovarian cancer can also be a secondary cancer, the result of metastasis from a primary cancer elsewhere in the body. Common primary cancers are breast cancer and gastrointestinal cancer (in which case the ovarian cancer is a Krukenberg cancer[citation needed]). Surface epithelial-stromal tumor can originate in the peritoneum (the lining of the abdominal cavity), in which case the ovarian cancer is secondary to primary peritoneal cancer, but treatment is basically the same as for primary surface epithelial-stromal tumor involving the peritoneum.

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