Ovarian Cancer Causes

The growth of abnormal and uncontrolled cells in the ovaries can be either cancerous or malignant and non-cancerous or benign.



Benign tumors can not spread to other parts of the body and are fairly easy to treat; but malignant tumors can spread to adjacent tissues or other organs in the body. Ovarian cancer cause still remains unknown, but some researchers believe that process of ovulation in the fertile years of women has something to do with it. Ovulation which happens in the reproductive years of women involves a tiny tear in the ovarian follicle following the monthly release of an egg.



The tissue repair process at the rupture site that is the formation and division of new cells can create a situation with genetic errors which may lead to uncontrolled and abnormal growth of cells. Other researchers believe that before ovulation the increased hormone levels may be responsible for abnormal cell growth in the ovaries. You may be at higher risk of developing ovarian cancer due to some other ovarian cancer causes listed below -

1. Inherited gene mutations - A women with an inherited mutation in genes called breast cancer gene 1 and breast cancer gene 2 (BRCA1 and BRCA2) is responsible for about 5-10 % of ovarian cancers.
   
   
   
   Other inherited syndrome called heredity nonpolyposis colorectal cancer gene (HNPCC) is also responsible for many forms of cancer including ovaries, colon, stomach, small intestine and uterine cancers.
2. Family history - The risk of developing ovarian cancer is about 5 % in your lifetime if your first degree relative that is mother, sister or daughter has the disease.
3. Age - The risk of getting this disease increases after 70 years of age, generally after menopause. But ovarian cancer can also occur in premenopausal women.
4. Infertility - A women who has difficulty in conceiving is at risk of developing this disease. But this link is poorly understood and research in this field is still ongoing.
5. Obesity in early childhood - Researchers suggest that women have a higher risk of developing ovarian cancer before menopause if she was obese at the age of 18.
6. Ovarian cysts - In premenopausal women, cyst formation is a normal part of ovulation; however after menopause these cysts can be cancerous.
7. Hormone replacement therapy (HRT) - Some studies state that women who use hormone replacement therapy with no history of hysterectomy face an increased risk of developing this disease. But more research in this field is essential to prove this point.
   
   
   
   
8. Child bearing status - A women who have at least one pregnancy can cause ovarian cancer prevention. Also who use oral contraceptive for three years or more have a protective effect against this disease.