Ovarian cancer in the Arab world: An updated review

Abstract

Ovarian cancer is among the most commonly diagnosed cancer in women worldwide. Multiple risk factors could be attributed to the development of this disease, thus implicating variable incidence rates worldwide. Being the sixth in incidence and fourth in mortality among all cancers in women in the Arab world, ovarian cancer should be allocated a considerable interest among the other gynecologic cancers. This review aims to project the current epidemiological perspective in this part of the world while trying to consider several factors that could explain the incidence variability between the Arab countries internally, and externally compared to the world. The screening, prognostic factors and treatment modalities that are currently adopted in different Arab countries will be also presented. Close attention is additionally paid to the remarkable genetic difference that is found in the Arab countries pool, which could also be considered as a major factor that could explain the mentioned variability. In conclusion, noticeable efforts are seen in the Arab world when it comes to ovarian cancer-related research. However, further investigations for additional risk factors should be conducted to improve the early detection of this mostly asymptomatic disease and thereby enhance the quality of life and the disease prognosis.