This Silent Killer Needs To Be Heard

Ovarian cancer kills 14,000 women a year in the United States. It's referred to as the "silent killer" because it's commonly not discovered until the very late stages when treatment options are limited. A new report from the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine is calling for more research into the causes and treatments.

Ovarian cancer is not even one disease, but rather a catch-all description of several different sub-types. Some cancers that are designated as ovarian don't even begin in the ovaries. Fewer than half of all women who are diagnosed with ovarian cancer survive five years. Hopefully more research will give doctors the tools they need to identify the disease sooner.