Obesity ups risk of ovarian cancer after menopause
9 January 2009
The increased risk of ovarian cancer associated with obesity observed in our study suggests that maintaining a healthy weight may play a role in preventing the development of ovarian cancer. 
Dr Michael Leitzmann, study author
Obese women who have gone through the menopause may be at a greater risk of ovarian cancer due to hormones produced by their fat cells, new research suggests.
The study, carried out by scientists at the National Cancer Institute in the US, supports previous evidence that obesity is a risk factor for ovarian cancer.
The researchers recruited 94,525 women aged between 50 and 71 and looked at the relationship between body mass index (BMI) and the risk of ovarian cancer over a period of seven years.
Overall, they found that obese women (those with a BMI of 30 or more) had a higher chance of developing ovarian cancer than women of a healthy weight. However, obesity only seemed to increase the risk of ovarian cancer in women who had never taken hormone replacement therapy (HRT) for the symptoms of the menopause.
Obese post-menopausal women who had never had HRT were 80 percent more likely to develop ovarian cancer compared with women of a healthy weight. No link was found between BMI and ovarian cancer in post-menopausal women who had taken HRT.
Dr Julie Sharp, senior science information manager for Cancer Research UK commented: "Other studies have shown that having a high BMI can increase a woman's risk of ovarian cancer - but these effects were more obvious in women who hadn't yet been through the menopause."
She added: "This research in women over 50 suggests that BMI may also be linked to ovarian cancer in women after the menopause - but this effect was only seen in women who had never taken hormone treatment."
The results suggest that obesity may increase the risk of ovarian cancer through its hormonal effects. Excess body mass in post-menopausal women leads to an increased production of the hormone oestrogen in adipocytes (fat cells), resulting in an increase of oestrogen in the body. The authors speculate that this may, in turn, stimulate the growth of ovarian epithelial cells, making cancer more likely.
This research highlights the importance of a maintaining a healthy weight. Dr Michael Leitzmann, one of the study authors, told the Bupa health information team: "The increased risk of ovarian cancer associated with obesity observed in our study suggests that maintaining a healthy weight may play a role in preventing the development of ovarian cancer."
Further research is needed to confirm these findings.
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