The epidemiology of ovarian cancer: a review.

Ovarian cancer is difficult to detect in an early stage when cure rates are higher. Because of this, it is important to identify women who may have a greater probability of developing the disease. The question of what factors influence a women's chances of developing ovarian cancer continues to be extremely difficult to answer. Nurses who understand the epidemiology of ovarian cancer and who are skilled in taking comprehensive health histories can play a major role in educating women to continue to obtain gynecologic screening exams, even in their postmenopausal years.