Ovarian cancer (OC) is the most lethal malignancy of the female reproductive system and
is also the fi fth leading cause of cancer death in women. The etiology of OC is poorly
understood, and there are no reliable predictive factors or preceding chronic diseases. As
OC is mostly asymptomatic in its initial stages, early detection is diffi cult. By the time OC
is diagnosed, the tumor has often progressed to an advanced stage. Despite aggressive primary
therapy and a suffi cient initial response rate, advanced OC has a strong tendency to
relapse and develop drug resistance. In order to improve this dismal situation, a better
understanding of the biology of OC at the molecular, cellular and histological levels is
essential. Molecular and cell biology methods are clearly applicable to the fi eld of ovarian
cancer research. However, proper study design and interpretation of the results from these
types of experiments requires careful consideration of the specifi c features associated
with OC.