Estrogen Therapy and Ovarian Cancer — A Complicated Relationship

Menopausal ET modestly raised risk for serous or endometrioid ovarian carcinoma but did not decrease survival among women receiving treatment for nonserous carcinoma.

Data have linked menopausal estrogen therapy (ET) to excess risk for ovarian cancer, but less is known about ET's effects regarding duration of use and specific tumor types. Now, two studies provide additional insights.

In the first study, researchers analyzed pooled data from 10 population-based case-control studies in the Ovarian Cancer Association Consortium. ET use was assessed in 906 women with diagnoses of primary ovarian carcinoma compared with 1220 women who had intact ovaries without cancer. Among ovarian carcinoma cases, 567 were serous, 113 endometrioid, 49 mucinous, 42 clear cell, and 135 epithelial cell unspecified. In all, 460 women in the cancer group (50.8%) and 531 women in the control group (43.5%) reported ever using ET af…

Reviewing Author

Robert W. Rebar, MD

Disclosures

Consultant/Advisory BoardMyovant Sciences, Inc.

Editorial BoardsEndoText; Clinical OB/GYN Alert

Leadership Positions in Professional SocietiesAmerican Society for Reproductive Medicine (Member, Ethics Committee)

Robert W. Rebar, MD

Disclosures

Consultant/Advisory BoardMyovant Sciences, Inc.

Editorial BoardsEndoText; Clinical OB/GYN Alert

Leadership Positions in Professional SocietiesAmerican Society for Reproductive Medicine (Member, Ethics Committee)

Estrogen Therapy and Ovarian Cancer — A Complicated Relationship

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Reviewing Author