Case control study of high-risk factors in ovarian carcinomas

Abstract

This study has been undertaken to explore the differences between patients bearing the three most common histologic types of ovarian carcinomas and the control group. The data were collected from 723 women: 309 patients with carcinoma of the ovary (serous carcinoma-143; mucinous-35; endometrioid-131), 105 with uterine body carcinoma, and 309 cancer-free patients. The cancer-free controls were selected according to age to give a sample with a corresponding age structure of the ovarian carcinoma groups. As compared with cancer-free controls, three factors appeared significantly more often in all three types of ovarian carcinoma: (a) early menopause (under 45 years), (b) late menarche (above 14 years), and (c) fewer pregnancies. In addition, the endometrioid type of ovarian carcinoma showed significantly higher rates of: (a) never-pregnant women, (b) nulliparity, (c) hypertension, and (d) overweight. The results of this study suggest that there is a poor functional state of the ovary enabling the development of carcinoma of any histologic kind. The differences between serous and endometrioid ovarian carcinoma and the similarity of the latter to uterine body carcinoma suggest that there are other factors affecting the development of ovarian carcinoma of the endometrioid type but not influencing the serous one.