Women with endometriosis are four times more likely to develop ovarian cancer than those without the condition, a new study reveals.
For those with severe cases of this painful chronic disease, the risk of cancer increased tenfold.
Endometriosis occurs when the uterine lining grows outside the uterus and affects one in ten women in the UK.
Previous research has suggested a link between endometriosis and ovarian cancer, but new findings from the University of Utah found that particularly severe endometriosis can significantly increase the risk of this potentially fatal disease.
Analyzing more than 78,000 women with endometriosis, the study showed that women who suffered from more severe cases of the disease were up to 20 times more likely to develop ovarian cancer.
Women with endometriosis are four times more likely to develop ovarian cancer than those without the condition, a new study reveals (File image)
Endometriosis occurs when the uterine lining grows outside the uterus and affects one in ten women in the UK.
This is comparable to the risk of lung cancer faced by smokers.
Experts say this is because severe endometriosis can cause cysts to form on the ovaries, which can become cancerous.
The study found that women with any type of endometriosis had a four-fold increased risk of developing ovarian cancer compared to those without it.
Ovarian cancer is relatively rare in the UK, with only 7,500 new cases each year.
However, it can be notoriously difficult to diagnose in its early stages, because many symptoms are associated with other, less serious diseases.
Approximately 4,000 women die each year from ovarian cancer.
Similarly, doctors also have difficulty detecting endometriosis. In the UK, patients wait, on average, more than eight years from the onset of symptoms to get a diagnosis.
Ovarian cancer is relatively rare in the UK, with only 7,500 new cases each year (file image)
Patients diagnosed are often prescribed birth control medications, which help reduce symptoms, or undergo surgery to remove patches of endometriosis tissue.
Dr. Jennifer Doherty, a cancer researcher at the University of Utah and an author on the study, described the findings as “really important.”
“This impacts the clinical care of people with severe endometriosis, who would benefit from counselling on ovarian cancer risk and prevention,” she said.
‘The research will also lead to further studies to understand the mechanisms through which specific types of endometriosis cause different types of ovarian cancer.’
