Diem Brown, a reality TV star known for MTV’s “Real World/Road Rules Challenge,” died Friday at 10:22 a.m. in New York City.
The 32-year-old died after a fight with ovarian cancer that began nearly 10 years ago, reports People magazine on its website.
Brown underwent several treatments for ovarian cancer since she was first diagnosed at age 23, according to her blog that chronicled her cancer fight for People magazine.
In August, Brown’s cancer came back — this time in her stomach and colon. Last month, doctors found that the cancer had spread to Brown’s liver and lymph nodes.
Ovarian cancer is a cancer that begins in the female reproductive glands called ovaries. In Brown’s case, the cancer began in her ovaries and spread to other parts of her body.
According to the Ovarian Cancer National Alliance (OCNA), ovarian cancer accounts for 3 percent of cancer cases in women.
Brown was on the younger end of those most often diagnosed with ovarian cancer. The cancer is most often diagnosed in women who are between 55 and 64 years old, according to the OCNA.
The American Cancer Society estimates that 21,980 US women will be diagnosed with ovarian cancer in 2014, and 14,270 women will die from it. According to the OCNA, only 44.6 percent of ovarian cancer patients survive the first five years after they are diagnosed.
