Epidemiology of ovarian cancer.

What factors influence a woman's chances of developing or avoiding ovarian cancer? Because early diagnosis is so difficult and this disease is usually diagnosed only in the late stages where treatment usually fails, physicians and women are becoming increasingly interested in answering this question. As a result of two studies conducted over the last fifteen years, certain risk factors have been identified, showing that a woman has a greater chance of developing ovarian cancer if she is white, married, has a family history of the disease, has no children or has a history of difficulty in conceiving, and has menopausal hot flashes. Chances of developing the disease are also greater in women who have a primary breast or colon tumor. Clinical conditions were utilization of these risk factors may contribute to the reduction of morbidity and mortality of ovarian cancer are suggested.