World Cancer Research Fund finds weight gain link to ovarian cancer
Ovarian cancer has a poor prognosis because it has few symptoms and usually is caught at a late stage. If it is caught early more than 90 per cent of women will survive for at least five years, but at the late stage that drops to less than 10 per cent.
Putting on weight can increase women's risk of ovarian cancer, researchers have found.
Ovarian cancer has a poor prognosis because it has few symptoms and usually is caught at a late stage. If it is caught early more than 90 per cent of women will survive for at least five years, but at the late stage that drops to less than 10 per cent.
The World Cancer Research Fund (WCRF), which works on the prevention of cancer, has published an update of the risks for ovarian cancer. For the first time, it says that overweight and obesity are a probable cause.
Weight is known to be an issue in some other cancers, including breast and bowel cancer.
The WCRF says that maintaining a healthy weight is one of its 10 recommendations for avoiding cancer.
"We can now say with certainty that being overweight or obese increases the risk of developing ovarian cancer, just as it does with a number of other cancers such as breast, bowel and womb cancer," said Dr Rachel Thompson. "This means that women can make lifestyle changes to reduce their chances of getting ovarian cancer.