Epithelial cancer of the ovary is the fifth most common malignant condition among women in the United States, with an annual incidence of 22,000 new cases¹. This disease predominantly affects postmenopausal women in their sixth decade, accounting for approximately 13,300 deaths each year and for over half of all deaths from genital cancer. The highly lethal nature of this tumor is related to the absence of symptoms in the majority of women with early stages of the disease. Seventy percent of women present with advanced disease in which the tumor has spread to the peritoneal surfaces of the upper . . .