Risk Factors for Ovarian Carcinoma

Abstract

Ovarian cancer is the leading gynecologic killer of women in the United States. At diagnosis, most women present with advanced-stage disease. There are currently no effective screening strategies for average-risk women, thus understanding disease development and progression is important for developing risk-reduction strategies and identifying high-risk populations who can benefit from preventive surgery. Cancer epidemiology has greatly contributed to the understanding of this complex, heterogeneous disease by identifying various factors that may modify disease development. This article comprehensively reviews the current evidence regarding risk factors using the newest epidemiologic research for further insight into this lethal disease.

Keywords: Descriptive epidemiology; Ovarian cancer; Risk factors; Risk reduction; Tumor heterogeneity.