Dr Eve Gaughan is an obstetrician-gynaecologist who works at the Rotunda Hospital in Dublin.
Ovarian cancer is the most lethal gynaecological cancer but, thankfully, the incidence of the disease is low. The lifetime risk of the disease in the general population is only 1.4 per cent, but some women are at much greater risk. This is due to the fact that they carry a genetic mutation that makes them susceptible to developing the disease. The peak incidence in the general population is at 56 years of age.