Ovarian cancer provides an up-to-date and comprehensive synthesis of clinical management and research progress in the field of epithelial ovarian cancer. The book has its origins in two separate but complementary initiatives. One initiative was a series of reviews commissioned to cover the spectrum of clinical management of ovarian cancer from prevention, screening and diagnosis to surgery, chemotherapy and palliative care. The reviews were invited from an international panel of clinicians with expertise in the management of ovarian cancer. The second initiative was co-ordinated by the Helene Harris Memorial Trust (HHMT) which has organised key biennial meetings on ovarian cancer for the last 12 years. Attendance at the meetings is by invitation to a small group of international authorities on research aspects of ovarian cancer. Setting the clinically focused reviews alongside the HHMT research focused chapters has created a unique book. First, the book is unusually up-to-date and presents recent advances not included in other books in this field. Second, the contents are comprehensive and cover aetiology, pathology, screening, prevention, diagnosis, prognostic techniques, surgery, adjuvant therapy and palliative care. Third, the review chapters are set alongside more detailed coverage of recent clinical and basis science developments. Examples of this are the coverage of familial cancer, prevention, screening, and current therapy which are consequently much more topical and exciting. Fourth, there are sections on 'tumour biology' and 'novel therapies' which have not been covered in comparable books about ovarian cancer. Finally, the contributions are from a representative spectrum of experts from both research and clinical backgrounds and with a truly international perspective.