In comparison to malignant tumors of vulva, vagina, cervix and uterine corpus, clear morphologic and molecular genetic features of precursor lesions of ovarian carcinoma have not been defined yet. We can see an effort to describe preinvasive lesions to allow dia-gnostics and treatment prior to development of invasive ovarian cancer. This tendency is magnified by the fact that ovarian carcinomas have the highest mortality from all gynecological malignancies. Currently, reports confirming different morphology, pathogenesis and molecular alterations in heterogeneous group of ovarian carcinomas have been described. There is a tendency to divide epithelial malignant tumors into two groups. Low grade ovarian serous carcinoma, low grade endometrioid, clear cell, mucinous ovarian cancers and Brenner tumors of ovary are categorized as type I ovarian tumors. Highgrade serous carcinoma, undifferentiated carcinomas and malignant mixed mesodermal tumors of the ovary (MMMTs) belong to type II tumors. A potential precursor lesion of highgrade serous ovarian cancer has been defined - serous tubal intraepithelial carcinoma.
Keywords: preinvasive lesion - ovarian cancer - serous tubal intraepithelial carcinoma (STIC).