As a gynaecologic oncologist, I often get asked by patients and families if ovarian cancer runs in families or if it is genetically inherited. The answer is both yes, and no. Before I go into the genetics, I should first give a little background information on the disease. Ovarian cancer is a rare disease. It affects about 1 in 100 women during their lifetime. This is compared to a lifetime risk of about 1 in 8 of developing breast cancer. By far and away, the most common