Endometriosis Is Associated with Risk for Ovarian Carcinoma

Although an association between endometriosis and invasive ovarian cancer has been suggested by several studies, the extent of the risk and any association with specific histologic subtypes have been unclear. In this study, data from 13 case-control studies from the U.S., Australia, and Europe were pooled to assess any associations.

In the analysis, 738 (9.3%) of 7911 women with invasive epithelial ovarian cancer and 168 (8.8%) with borderline ovarian cancer had a self-reported history of endometriosis. Of 13,226 controls without cancer, 818 (6.2%) reported such a history. Endometriosis was associated with a threefold increased risk for clear-cell ovarian cancer, a twofold increased risk for endometrioid carcinoma, and a twofold increased ri…