Abstract

Ovarian cancer is the gynecological malignancy with the worst prognosis. Due to the silent course of the disease the diagnosis is made mainly in advanced stages. The literature reviewed showed that the therapeutic advances have not shown any major improvement in patient´s survival with ovarian cancer, therefore there is a constant research for a technique (or a set of them) that allows a proper screening and early detection of the disease. However, a cost effective method has not been found for screening, therefore it is not recommended for general population and it is reserved for specific cases, such as women with family history of ovarian cancer and with hereditary syndromes. This review also includes information about the different imaging techniques available not only for the study and characterization of neoplasms, but also for staging and prognosis of ovarian cancer. The ultrasound proved to be the best option for the initial approach of adnexal masses, however it has shown to be inferior for staging than CT-Scan and MRI.

Key words: Ovarian cancer; screening; diagnosis; ultrasound; CT-Scan