 What is Ovarian Cancer?
Ovarian cancer, as the name implies, begins in the
ovaries. There are two ovaries, one on each side of the uterus in the pelvis.
The ovaries produce eggs (called ova). They are also the main source of a
woman's female hormones, estrogen and progesterone.
How Many Women are Affected?
- Ovarian cancer is the eighth most common cancer in women (not counting skin
cancer).
- It ranks fifth as the cause of cancer death in women.
- It is estimated that there will be about 20,180 new cases (incidence) of
ovarian cancer in the U.S. this year.
- It is slightly more common in white women than African-American women.
- The risk of getting this cancer and dying from it is 1 in 95.
Risk Factors
There is no known cause for Ovarian Cancer. There
are some factors that increase a woman's chance of developing the most common
type of ovarian cancer, epithelial ovarian cancer. These include:
Age: Most ovarian cancers happen after change of
life (menopause). Half of all these cancers are found in women over the age of
63.
Menstrual periods: Women who started having periods
early (before 12 years of age) or who went through the change of life
(menopause) after the age of 50 have a small increased risk of ovarian cancer.
The same is true for women who have not had children, or had their first child
after they were 30 years old.
Family history: Ovarian cancer risk is higher among
women whose close blood relatives (mother, sister, daughter) have (or had) this
disease. The relatives can be from either the mother's or father's side of the
family. There is a higher risk if ovarian cancer happened at an early age.
Some studies have also mentioned the following as
increasing the risk for ovarian cancer:
- Breast cancer
- Talcum powder
- Infertility and the use of clomiphene citrate (a fertility drug also known
as Clomid)
- Estrogen replacement therapy (ERT)
- Smoking and alcohol use
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