Booklet: What You Need to Know about Ovarian Cancer

The Promise of Cancer Research

Scientists at hospitals and medical centers all across the country are studying ovarian cancer. They are trying to learn more about what causes this disease and how to prevent it. They are also looking for ways to detect it earlier and to treat it more effectively.

Cause and Prevention

About 1 in every 70 women in the United States will develop ovarian cancer during her lifetime. Most cases occur in women over the age of 50, but it can also affect younger women. The disease is more common in white women than in black women, but doctors do not know why.

Scientists do not know what causes ovarian cancer. It is clear, however, that this disease is not contagious; no one can "catch" ovarian cancer from another person.

By studying large numbers of women all over the world, researchers have found certain risk factors that increase a woman's chance of developing ovarian cancer. However, studies also show that most women with these risk factors do not get ovarian cancer, and many women who do get the disease have none of the risk factors we know about.

The following are some of the known risk factors for ovarian cancer:

• Family medical history. The risk of getting ovarian cancer increases for a woman whose close relative (mother, sister, daughter) has had the disease. The risk is especially high if two or more close relatives have had the disease. The risk is not quite as high for women with other relatives (grandmother, aunt, or cousin) who have had ovarian cancer.
• Childbearing. Women who have never been pregnant are more likely to develop ovarian cancer than are women who have had children. In fact, the more times a women has been pregnant, the less likely she is to develop ovarian cancer. Also, women who use oral contraceptives (birth control pills) are less likely to develop ovarian cancer than are women who do not. A possible reason is that the pill creates hormone levels in the body that are similar to those during pregnancy.

  Recent research raises the question of whether infertile women who take fertility drugs and do not become pregnant may be at an increased risk of developing ovarian cancer. But this possible link has not been proven. Further research is under way to see whether ovarian cancer is related to infertility and/or to the use of fertility drugs.

• Age. The risk of developing ovarian cancer increases as a women gets older. Most ovarian cancers occur in women over the age of 50; the risk is especially high for women over 60.
• Personal medical history. Women who have had breast cancer are twice as likely to develop ovarian cancer as are women who have not had breast cancer.

Women who think they may be at risk for developing ovarian cancer should discuss this concern with their doctor, who can plan an appropriate schedule of checkups.

Early Detection

Most health problems respond best to treatment when they are found early. Women who have regular pelvic exams increase the chance that, if ovarian cancer occurs, it will be found before the disease causes symptoms. However, pelvic exams often cannot find ovarian cancer at an early stage. Scientists are trying to find better ways to detect ovarian cancer earlier, when treatment may be more successful. For example, they are exploring the usefulness of measuring the level of CA-125 in the blood. Other ways of detecting the disease, such as new ultrasound techniques, also are under study.

Women over age 60 are taking part in a nationwide study of CA-125 and transvaginal ultrasound. In this study, scientists are trying to learn whether these tests can detect early ovarian cancer (in women who have no symptoms of the disease) and reduce the number of deaths from this disease. The Cancer Information Service can provide information about this study.

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