Study links obesity to elevated risk of ovarian cancer

Obese women are at an increased risk of developing ovarian cancer compared to women of normal weight, a new study claims.

In a report published in the journal Cancer today, researchers claim to have proven that among women who have never used menopausal hormone therapy, those who are overweight have a higher risk of contracting the cancer.

Ovarian cancer is the most fatal of gynaecologic malignancies, and has a five-year survival rate of only 37 per cent.

In the study, researchers investigated some 95,000 American women aged between 50 and 71 over a period of seven years.

The researchers documented 303 ovarian cancer cases during that time and noted that among women who had never taken hormones after menopause, obesity was associated with an almost 80 per cent higher risk of ovarian cancer.

In contrast, no link between body weight and ovarian cancer was evident for women who had ever used menopausal hormone therapy.

According to author Dr Michael Leitzmann, the findings support the hypothesis that obesity may enhance ovarian cancer risk in part through its hormonal effects.

Excess body mass in postmenopausal women leads to an increased production of oestrogen, which in turn may stimulate the growth of ovarian cells and play a role in the development of ovarian cancer, the authors of today’s report claim.

“The observed relations between obesity and ovarian cancer risk have relevance for public health programs aimed at reducing obesity in the population,” they add.