Ovarian cancer is the fifth most common cancer among U.S. women.1 An estimated 23,400 new cases were expected to be diagnosed in the U.S. in 2001. As is the case for breast and endometrial cancers, ovarian cancer is more common among women in northern and central Europe, and North America compared with Africa, South America, and Asia.2 In the U.S., substantial racial and ethnic variations also are observed in the incidence of ovarian cancer. rates reportedly are highest among non-Hispanic white and American Indian women, and are lower among Hispanic, Native Hawaiian, and Asian women.3 Among white women in the U.S., there has been a gradual decline in the incidence and mortality from ovarian cancer since 1973, whereas rates among black women during this time period have been fairly stable.4 The epidemiology of ovarian cancer was discussed in the article by Goodman and Howe.
