Environmental factors in the etiology of carcinoma of the human ovary: a review.

The woman at highest risk for epithelial neoplasia of the ovary is a nulliparous, caucasian woman of northern European descent residing in an industrialized country. She is at even higher risk if her sister, mother, maternal aunt or grandmother have had carcinomas of the breast or ovary or if she herself has had a previous carcinoma of the breast. The roles of hormonal drugs and other environmental chemical compounds in the etiology of this form of cancer are not clear but are the subjects of many ongoing investigations.