Major Causes of Ovarian Cancer

According to some pretty scary statistics from the American Cancer Society, ovarian cancer ranks at number eight, making it one of the most prevalent cancers in the world, and as the fifth most common cancer affecting African women. Medical News Today claims that one in roughly 70 women will be diagnosed with ovarian cancer during her lifespan. And unlike breast cancer, approximately 85-percent of the females diagnosed receive a late-stage prognosis. Below are 7 common risk factors for ovarian cancer…

1. Smoking

According to findings from the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), smoking tobacco smoking is considered a culprit for 3-percent of ovarian cancer cases. Supporting this link between tobacco smoking and the development of ovarian cancer, Cancer Research U.K. offers the following statistics…
Current women smokers are 31- to 49-percent more likely to develop ovarian mucinous cancer compared to women who have never smoked in the past. Also, the length of smoking also matters a great deal.

2. Polycystic Ovary Syndrome

The Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development claims that polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) can heighten the risk of certain cancers, including breast and ovarian cancer. In fact, the risk of ovarian cancer triples for women with PCOS.
If you have been diagnosed with PCOS, or have a genetic predisposition to ovarian cancer, you should keep up on annual pelvic exams (i.e., pap smear) with your doctor to screen for ovarian cancer.

3. Age

Research from the Mayo Clinic points out that several age differentiators can predispose women to ovarian cancer later in life. For instance, the Clinic notes that early menstruation (prior to 12-years of age) is linked to an increased risk of ovarian cancer.
In addition, if menopause began at 52-years of age or later, you may also be at higher risk of developing ovarian cancer. Even though ovarian cancer strikes women of all age groups, it’s most likely to develop in women between the ages of 50- to 60-years-old.

4. Hormone Replacement Therapy

Hormone therapy is often prescribed to soothe the hot flashes, irritability, and vaginal dryness that can come with menopause. However, speculation that hormone therapy increases the risk of breast and ovarian cancers pose serious concerns.
Observational studies from the National Women’s Health Network (NWHN), find that estrogen hormone replacement therapy, in large doses and over the long-term, can increase ovarian cancer risk. Findings from a 2007 medical analysis reports that female patients taking estrogen-alone (vs. an estrogen- progestin combination) attributed to 1300 additional ovarian cancers and 1000 ovarian cancer deaths between 1991 and 2007 in the UK.

5. BRCA1 & BRCA2 Gene Mutation

The Mayo Clinic blames the BRCA1 and BRCA2 inherited gene mutations as a lesser cause of ovarian cancer (as well as breast cancer). These genes, found in families with several past breast cancer diagnoses, also cause Lynch syndrome.
Lynch syndrome, a type of hereditary nonpolyposis colorectal cancer (or HNPCC) caused by the BRCA1 and BRCA2 gene mutations, is linked to increased rates of colon cancer (in men and women) and ovarian cancer (for women).

6. Fertility Treatment

Studies quoted by the National Cancer Society (NCS), link the usage of certain fertility drugs to an increased risk of ovarian cancer. For instance, the NCS points to the fertility drug, clomiphene citrate, taken for a year of longer as a risk factor for “low malignant potential” ovarian tumors.
Patients undergoing fertility treatment should be advised of the risks by their doctors. For instance, the risks are significantly higher in women who are infertile and unable to conceive while taking the drug—compared to women who become pregnant and carry a baby to term.

7. Intrauterine Birth Control

While some studies indicate a link between using intrauterine birth control devices (IUDs) and ovarian cancer—research from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) found otherwise. In fact, the NIH published the results of a 2014 Finnish study that monitored the premenopausal use of levonorgestrel-releasing intrauterine birth control on endometrial adenocarcinoma cancer development on women 30- to 49-years of age in Finland.
Over the course of 13-years, 2,781 cancer cases were detected in the 855,324 of the women using intrauterine birth control. In addition, while the intrauterine system was linked to increased incidence of breast cancer, it displayed a protective affect against the development of endometrial, ovarian, pancreatic, and lung malignant tumors.