PURPOSE: Despite long and intensive research, endometriosis remains one of the leading causes of morbidity among premenopausal women. The majority of endometriosis-related ovarian carcinomas occur in the presence of atypical ovarian endometriosis. Nevertheless, despite the increased incidence of ovarian cancer in patients with endometriosis, our knowledge of the risk factors and mechanisms is still incomplete. METHOD: Narrative overview, synthesizing the recent findings of literature retrieved from databases. RESULTS: Herein, we reviewed and summarized the most recent knowledge regarding endometriosis and ovarian cancer. CONCLUSION: The evidence showing that patients with endometriosis have a higher risk of developing ovarian cancer is compelling. However, the question of how much higher the absolute risk is, is not fully clear.

Biomedical Centre Faculty of Medicine in Plzen Charles University Plzen Czech Republic

Department of Histology and Embryology Faculty of Medicine Charles University Plzen Czech Republic

Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology Filippo Del Ponte Hospital University of Insubria Varese Italy

Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology University Hospital Faculty of Medicine Charles University Plzen Czech Republic

Department of Pathology University of Louisville Louisville KY 40292 USA

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