Ovarian cancer is the fifth-leading cause of cancer-related death in women, reports the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Doctors categorize the disease by how far along the growth of harmful cells have become, with end-stage or Stage 4 ovarian cancer being the most advanced.

Spread

Doctors classify the disease as end-stage ovarian cancer once cancerous cells have moved beyond your ovary and traveled into other organs like your lungs or liver.

Types

Epithelial tumors are the most common type of ovarian cancer and begin in the outer layer of one of your ovaries before spreading. Germ-cell tumors begin in your egg-producing cells within one of your ovaries, reports the Mayo Clinic.

Prognosis

Only 18 percent of patients with epithelial end-stage ovarian cancer survive for five years after diagnosis, according to the American Cancer Society. The five-year survival rate for germ cell tumors is higher at 55 percent.

Treatment

End-stage ovarian cancer is difficult to treat because it involves an additional organ. Treatments focus on prolonging a patient's life as long as possible through surgery to remove as much of the tumor as possible and chemotherapy to control the spread of the disease.

Reducing the Risk

Women who have taken oral contraceptive pills during their life and those who have become pregnant and breastfed their children are at a lower risk for developing ovarian cancer, reports the Mayo Clinic. Women who are at a very high risk for the disease due to a previous cancer or a family history may elect to have their ovaries surgically removed to prevent ovarian cancer.

Source:

American Cancer Society: How is Ovarian Cancer Staged?

CDC: Ovarian Cancer

American Cancer Society: Treatment for Ovarian Cancer by Stage

More Information:

Mayo Clinic: Ovarian Cancer-Prevention