Words to know: Ovarian cancer
- Ovaries
- Two small organs in the pelvis that make eggs and the hormones estrogen and progesterone.
- Fallopian tubes
- Thin tubes that carry eggs from the ovaries to the uterus. Many ovarian cancers start here.
- Peritoneum
- The thin lining that covers the inside of the belly and the organs in it.
- Ascites
- Fluid that builds up in the belly and can cause swelling and discomfort.
- Debulking surgery
- Surgery to remove as much cancer as possible. Also called cytoreduction.
- Gynecologic oncologist
- A surgeon who specializes in cancers of the female reproductive organs.
- CA-125
- A protein in the blood that is often high in ovarian cancer. It helps track treatment.
- BRCA1 and BRCA2
- Genes that help repair DNA. Changes in them raise the risk of ovarian and breast cancer.
- HRD
- Homologous recombination deficiency. The tumor has trouble repairing DNA, which can make PARP inhibitors work better.
- PARP inhibitor
- A pill that blocks a DNA repair tool in cancer cells. Examples are olaparib and niraparib.
- Maintenance therapy
- Medicine taken after the main treatment to keep the cancer from coming back or growing.
- Platinum chemotherapy
- Chemotherapy medicines like carboplatin and cisplatin. They are the backbone of ovarian cancer treatment.
- Platinum-sensitive
- Cancer that comes back six months or more after platinum chemotherapy ended. It often responds to platinum again.
- Platinum-resistant
- Cancer that comes back within six months after platinum chemotherapy. Other medicines are usually used.
- Neoadjuvant chemotherapy
- Chemotherapy given before surgery to shrink the cancer.
- Adjuvant chemotherapy
- Chemotherapy given after surgery to lower the chance the cancer comes back.
- HIPEC
- Heated chemotherapy washed through the belly during surgery.
- Intraperitoneal (IP) chemotherapy
- Chemotherapy given through a thin tube directly into the belly.
- Bevacizumab
- A medicine that blocks the growth of blood vessels that feed tumors.
- Antibody-drug conjugate
- A medicine that links an antibody to chemotherapy so it goes straight to cancer cells.
- Lynch syndrome
- An inherited condition that raises the risk of colon, uterine, ovarian, and other cancers.
- Genetic counseling
- A meeting with an expert who explains inherited cancer risk and gene testing for you and your family.
- Risk-reducing surgery
- Removing the ovaries and tubes in people with high inherited risk to greatly lower the chance of cancer.
- Recurrence
- When cancer comes back after treatment.
Last updated: 2026-10-27. Medically reviewed by Veli Bakalov, MD, medical oncologist (October 2026). General education from Step by Step, the patient portal of HemeOncBuddy.