July 17th 2024.
A new study spanning over two decades has revealed some alarming news for women with endometriosis - they are more than four times more likely to develop ovarian cancer than those without the condition. This means that the one in nine Australian women who suffer from this chronic illness not only have to deal with debilitating pain, nausea, and fertility issues, but also face a significantly increased risk of developing a deadly form of cancer.
Endometriosis is a condition where tissue similar to the lining of the uterus grows outside of the uterus, causing inflammation and scarring within the body. To understand the link between endometriosis and ovarian cancer, a team of medical researchers from the University of Utah examined the medical records of nearly half a million women. They found that those with an endometriosis diagnosis are at a 4.2 times greater risk of developing ovarian cancer in their lifetime. This risk increases even further for women with more severe sub-types of endometriosis, such as ovarian endometriomas and deep infiltrating endometriosis, where the risk rises to 9.7 times higher.
Ovarian cancer is known to be the deadliest form of gynecological cancer, mainly because it is often diagnosed at a late stage. Shockingly, less than half of the women diagnosed with ovarian cancer will live beyond five years. However, the survival rate can increase dramatically to 90% if the cancer is caught early at Stage One, before it spreads beyond the ovaries and fallopian tubes. These findings highlight the urgent need for targeted cancer screening and prevention programs for women with endometriosis, especially those with the more severe sub-types that are at a higher risk.
Associate Professor Karen Schliep, who led the study, emphasized the importance of these findings in prompting more focused cancer screening and prevention efforts for women with endometriosis. She also noted that while the increased risk of ovarian cancer for women with endometriosis may seem small, with only 10 to 20 additional cases per 10,000 women, it is still a cause for concern and warrants further attention. The study, published in the JAMA Network, hopes to shed light on this link between endometriosis and ovarian cancer and encourage more targeted efforts to save the lives of these women.
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