Diagnosis and staging of ovarian carcinoma.

The early diagnosis of ovarian carcinoma will await the development of adequate and accurate screening tests. In the interval prior to development of these tests, ovarian cancers will frequently be discovered in an advanced stage. Improved methods of treatment must be based on an adequate trial of existing treatment methods founded on an understanding of factors influencing survival. FIGO stage grouping identifies many of these factors and should be used to identify patients with similar characteristics. Other prognostic factors such as tumor grade, volume of residual disease and the presence of ascites must be recorded and considered in evaluating therapeutic trials. The adoption of a routine method for patient evaluation and exploration may enhance the amount of information available for each patient and assure that adequate information is available with which to place the pateint in FIGO stage and substage.