**1. Introduction**

Ovarian cancer is a deadly disease that causes around 225,000 new cases and 140,000 deaths every year, remaining a major health problem worldwide [1]. Moreover, epithelial ovarian cancer (EOC) is more common in elderly women who are no longer experiencing reproductive cycles [1]. This cancer is characterized by the non-specificity of its symptoms and the lack of efficacy for therapies at advanced stages. Therefore, EOC is diagnosed at late stages and has a low overall 5-year survival below 45% [2].

A key process for EOC growth and metastasis is angiogenesis, the formation of new blood vessels from pre-existing vasculature. It is a complex process regulated by the balance between pro- and anti-angiogenic factors [3]. In the normal reproductive ovary, angiogenesis is a physiological process that occurs during every cycle in a controlled manner [4]. In cancer, pro-angiogenic factors are overexpressed and angiogenic regulation is lost. Among these factors, neurotrophins have an important role in controlling angiogenesis in the normal and neoplastic ovary, being also implicated in the regulation of other physiological and pathological processes [5]. The roles of neurotrophins in the normal ovary and in EOC are discussed in the next sections.
