Women With Endometriosis Face ‘Markedly Increased’ Risk Of Ovarian Cancer, Study Suggests

Published 2 months ago
By Forbes | Ty Roush
Aerial view of the hands of a scientist pouring fluid with the pipette into a petri dish in a laboratory with a green atmosphere.
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TOPLINE

Women diagnosed with endometriosis may have a “markedly increased” risk of developing ovarian cancer compared to women without the disease, according to a study published Wednesday in the JAMA Network, following years of speculation about whether the two diseases are linked.

KEY FACTS

Endometriosis, a disease causing tissue from inside the uterus to grow outside of the uterus, is associated with a four-times higher risk of ovarian cancer and a seven-times higher risk of developing a mild form of the cancer, according to the study, which analyzed health data on nearly 500,000 women in Utah age 18 to 55.

Women who have severe forms of endometriosis have a 9.7 times higher risk, researchers suggested.

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The risks have likely been underestimated because the data did not include whether the women were using oral contraceptives like birth control, which researchers said has been linked with a lower risk of ovarian cancer.

Additional prevention studies are necessary to better determine the link between endometriosis and ovarian cancer, researchers said, adding women with endometriosis could be an “important population” for cancer screening.

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190 million. That’s how many women are affected by endometriosis globally, though that number is likely higher because access to diagnosis is limited in low-income regions, according to the World Health Organization. The disease can result in infertility or “severe, life-impacting” pain during periods, in addition to chronic pelvic pain, abdominal bloating and fatigue, the organization said. The cause of endometriosis is unknown and there is no cure, though some treatments like hormonal medicines are often prescribed to mitigate pain.

KEY BACKGROUND

Researchers have studied a possible link between endometriosis and ovarian cancer for years. In 2017, a study found up to 19% of cases of a form of ovarian cancer were associated with endometriosis, including an increased risk among younger women. Another study in 2020 indicated endometriosis was associated with a higher risk of ovarian and thyroid cancers, in addition to a minimal risk of breast and cervical cancer. Researchers from the University of Queensland in Australia released a study in 2022 suggesting endometriosis and ovarian cancer were genetically linked, meaning women who have the disease could also have “genetic markers” for developing ovarian cancer.

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