This guideline does not include recommendations covering every detail of the recognition and initial management of ovarian cancer. Instead this guideline has tried to focus on those areas of clinical practice (i) that are known to be controversial or uncertain; (ii) where there is identifiable practice variation; (iii) where there is a lack of high quality evidence; or (iv) where NICE guidelines are likely to have most impact. More detail on how this was achieved is presented later in the section on ‘Developing Clinical Evidence Based Questions’. This guideline is relevant to all healthcare professionals who come into contact with.