In recent years, there have been major advances in the treatment of patients with gynaecologic malignancies, the biggest advances being in the area of ovarian cancer. This text focuses primarily upon this malignancy, discussing: cytoreductive surgery; screening for ovarian cancer; chemotherapy; new chemotherapeutic drugs; the controversy regarding the role of high-dose chemotherapy in gynaecologic cancers; the hereditary basis for gynaecologic malignancies; molecular genetics; molecular biology and new biologic therapies. Other topics covered are the treatment of all stages of cervical cancer, including radiotherapy. In addition, a chapter on advances in the pathology of gynaecologic cancers is included. The advances made in the treatment of gynaecologic malignancies have been the result of multidisciplinary approaches which involve molecular biologists, pathologists, radiation therapists, surgeons and chemotherapists. Future advances will continue to rely upon collaborative interaction among these different disciplines.
