Racial differences in ovarian cancer risk in patients with fibroids and endometriosis

By ASCO Post Staff

Posted: 2023/5/12 10:57:00 AM

Last update: May 12, 2023 11:56:53 AM

A recently published case-control study by Harris et al. Obstetrics and Gynecology evaluated racial associations with the risk of endometriosis, uterine leiomyoma, and ovarian cancer, and the effect of hysterectomy on these associations. The researchers found that hysterectomy may alter the risk of ovarian cancer in both black and white leiomyoma patients, but that hysterectomy reduced ovarian cancer risk in patients with endometriosis. We found that the changes in .

Background

Ovarian cancer is the fifth leading cause of cancer death in women. The National Cancer Institute estimated the number of people with ovarian cancer in the United States in 2020 at her 236,511.

“Disorders such as endometriosis and uterine fibroids can affect health and quality of life,” he stressed. Dr. Barbara Norquist, Associate Professor of Gynecologic Oncology at the University of Washington School of Medicine and Medical Director of the Breast and Ovarian Cancer Prevention Program at Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center. “Medical interventions, such as a hysterectomy, performed to treat these conditions may affect future health status. It’s an important step towards a deeper understanding,” she stressed.

“There has been very little research that has examined the black experience. [patients] The study’s first author explained the link to endometriosis, including how it increases the risk of ovarian cancer Holly Harris, MPH, ScD, Associate Professor of Epidemiology, Department of Public Health Sciences, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center. “We will continue to make more discoveries in this area and conduct further research on how variables such as interventions and access to care and treatment affect ovarian cancer risk in all populations. I need it,” she added.

Research methods and results

In the new study, the researchers used the African Women’s Ovarian Cancer Consortium as their primary objective to target 8,582 patients with uterine fibroids and endometriosis, of whom 3,124 were black and 5,458 were black. Caucasian) data were examined. To understand how racial differences influenced not only the risk of developing ovarian cancer, but also the outcomes of medical interventions used to treat the condition.

Of the patients in the study, 32.3% (n = 1,008/3,124) of black patients and 41.0% (n = 2,237/5,458) of white patients had ovarian cancer. In addition, 43.2% and 6.4% of black patients and 21.5% and 7% of white patients experienced fibroids and endometriosis, respectively.

Conclusion

“Like many other reproductive health diseases, research in endometriosis and fibroids is severely underfunded relative to the population burden,” he stressed. Dr. Elizabeth Swisher, Professor and Director of the Department of Gynecologic Oncology, University of Washington School of Medicine, and Co-Leader of the Breast and Ovarian Cancer Research Program of the Fred Hutchinson/University of Washington Cancer Consortium. “For this reason, our knowledge of these diseases is very limited, and patients receive substandard treatment, with a significant impact on their quality of life,” she stressed.

The researchers hope to further analyze how racial differences affect the risk of developing ovarian cancer in future studies.

“Despite the low incidence of ovarian cancer among blacks, [patients]with the highest mortality in this group [rate] from [the disease]. Identifying how racial differences in access to care and treatment affect this disparity is critical in developing risk reduction strategies,” Dr. Harris concluded.

Disclosure: For full disclosure of study authors, please visit: journal.lww.com.

The content of this post has not been reviewed by the American Society of Clinical Oncology, Inc. (ASCO®) and does not necessarily reflect the views or opinions of ASCO®.

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