This risk of cancer in women with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is thought to double after menopause.
In women of childbearing age, the polycystic ovary syndrome is a common hormonal disease.
But if this disorder is frequent, as specialists from the research center of the Danish Cancer Society remind us, “Little is known about the associations between polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) and ovarian cancer.”
PCOS: Reminder
Hormonal disorder originating in the ovaries or the brain, PCOS will consist of an excessive production of male hormones (androgens), in particular testosterone.
Other symptoms for affected women include excessive hair growth (hirsutism), acne and hair loss.
The Danish study
The researchers’ work was based on more than 1.7 million women born in Denmark between the beginning of 1940 and the end of 1993. Women who had left the country, had died, or had been diagnosed with cancer or who have undergone surgery to remove their ovaries and fallopian tubes.
In a press release, the authors add that “Details on the diagnosis of PCOS and cancer were obtained from national registries. An additional analysis was performed on women who reached 51, the median/average age of menopause in Denmark”.
A higher risk of cancer during menopause
The results show nearly 6,500 women diagnosed with epithelial ovarian cancer and nearly 3,000 with borderline ovarian tumor during a 26-year follow-up period.
The researchers observed that the increased risk of ovarian cancer and borderline ovarian tumors was not statistically significant in women with PCOS compared to those without.
However, the risk of developing ovarian cancer was twice as high in women who were both postmenopausal and affected by PCOS. But the researchers do not know the triggering factor. Male hormones could play a role.