If ovarian cancer spreads

Cancer cells can spread from the ovary to other parts of the body. This spread is called metastasis.

Understanding how a type of cancer usually grows and spreads helps your healthcare team plan your treatment and future care. If ovarian cancer spreads, it can spread to the following:

  • fallopian tube
  • other ovary
  • uterus
  • cervix
  • vagina
  • omentum (a fold in the peritoneum that covers and supports organs and blood vessels in the abdomen)
  • parietal peritoneum (the membrane that lines the walls of the abdomen and pelvis) or visceral peritoneum (the membrane that covers and supports most of the organs in the abdomen)
  • diaphragm (the thin muscle below the lungs and heart that separates the chest cavity from the abdomen)
  • lymph nodes in the pelvis and retroperitoneum
  • bladder
  • large intestine
  • rectum
  • small intestine
  • liver
  • lungs

Expert review and references