Surface epithelial tumors are a large and heterogeneous group of neoplasms that are subclassified based on cell type and malignant potential. The objective of this review is to examine the correlations between recent molecular pathology data and the traditional histopathologic classification of surface epithelial tumors. By doing so, 6 distinct subsets of ovarian epithelial neoplasia can be identified with potential treatment implications 1. high-grade serous, high-grade endometrioid, and undifferentiated carcinomas; 2. low-grade serous carcinomas and serous borderline tumors; 3. mucinous carcinomas and mucinous borderline tumors of intestinal type; 4. low-grade endometrioid carcinomas and endometrioid borderline tumors; 5. clear cell carcinomas; and 6. transitional cell carcinomas.