Ovarian cancer is not only the commonest but also the most lethal gynaecological malignancy, partly because the majority of patients present with advanced disease. Nevertheless, as is true for so many cancers, the management of patients with ovarian neoplasms has changed substantially over the years. Several factors have contributed to this: for example, major advances in chemotherapy have resulted in improved survival; the role of surgery is constantly evolving and being refined. Many challenges are being addressed in order to lessen the devastating effects of advanced disease: screening strategies are being introduced and detection of early stage disease may offer an opportunity to reduce mortality. Also, a better understanding of the interactions between environmental and molecular biological events that cause or protect against ovarian cancer may lead to clear clinical benefits in prevention, early detection and treatment of the disease.

There is little doubt, however, that central to these advances has been the development and application of modern imaging, whether it be in diagnosis, staging or follow-up. All forms of imaging, including ultrasound, MRI and CT, play a critical role not only in the day-to-day management of the patient but also in the development of future strategies. Position emission tomography may also in future play a role.

This issue of Contemporary Issues in Cancer Imaging – A Multidisciplinary Approach deals with all these important developments. Increasingly, there is a need for the radiologist to understand the clinical issues that prompt the need for imaging.