A new study conducted by researchers at the Huntsman Cancer Institute at the University of Utah, the Spencer Fox Eccles School of Medicine at the University of Utah, and Boston University Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine has found that women with severe endometriosis are 10 times more likely to develop ovarian cancer compared to women without the condition.
The findings, published in the Journal of the American Medical Association, emphasize the critical need for targeted cancer screening and prevention strategies for this high-risk population.
Endometriosis, a condition where tissue similar to the lining inside the uterus grows outside of it, has been previously linked to ovarian cancer. However, this study is the first to use the extensive Utah Population Database to analyze the incidence rates of different types of endometriosis and subtypes of ovarian cancer. The research included over 78,000 women with endometriosis, providing a robust dataset for understanding the connection between these conditions.
“These are really important findings,” says Jennifer Doherty, PhD, investigator and co-leader of the Cancer Control and Population Sciences Program at Huntsman Cancer Institute and professor at the University of Utah.
“This impacts clinical care for individuals with severe endometriosis, since they would benefit from counseling about ovarian cancer risk and prevention. This research will also lead to further studies to understand the mechanisms through which specific types of endometriosis cause different types of ovarian cancer.”
The study, a collaboration between Doherty, Mollie Barnard, assistant professor of medicine at Boston University, and Karen Schliep, PhD, associate professor of public health at the University of Utah, found that women with more severe forms of endometriosis, such as ovarian endometriomas and deep infiltrating endometriosis, had a 9.7-fold higher risk of developing ovarian cancer. Notably, the risk was even higher for type I ovarian cancers, including endometrioid, clear cell, mucinous, and low-grade serous cancers.
“In the Utah-based cohort, we found that women suffering from more severe types of endometriosis are significantly more likely to develop type I ovarian cancer,” says Schliep. “That’s where we found a 19-fold increased risk, which is comparable to the connection between smoking and lung cancer.”
Overall, women with any type of endometriosis had a 4.2-fold increased risk of developing ovarian cancer compared to those without endometriosis. These findings underscore the importance of early detection and preventive measures for women with endometriosis.
“The big question for women is ‘what can I do about it?’ This is important data for women to have as they’re weighing what kind of treatments they should maybe undergo to avoid any kind of disease down the road,” Schliep adds. “I’m very passionate about giving women the right information and then having them be able to make shared decisions with their physician.”
As a preventative measure, women with endometriosis could consider surgeries such as a hysterectomy or removal of the ovaries. However, these are invasive procedures, and more research is needed to determine if these are the best options.
Barnard, a former postdoctoral student at Huntsman Cancer Institute, expressed optimism about the study’s potential impact on women’s health. “I chose to become an epidemiologist to make a difference in people’s lives, and often we’re several steps away from drug development or clinical practice,” she says. “But this feels like it’s just a few steps away where it might take just a couple of clinical studies or implementation studies to figure out how this information can best be leveraged by doctors and their patients.”
