Exploring the Association Between Endometriosis and Risk of Ovarian Cancer

Abstract

Ovarian cancer (OC) is one of the most common and lethal gynecological malignancies in women. The etiology is relatively unknown, making prevention difficult. Surgery, chemotherapy and various other therapies are currently being used in treatment. A cure for OC is not available yet due to the heterogeneous nature of the disease and lack of knowledge on the pathogenesis of ovarian cancer. OC is responsible for approximately 152,000 deaths worldwide. This study will examine the existing literature and assess the evidence related to the association between endometriosis and the risk of developing ovarian cancer. A structured literature review was conducted. Articles were retrieved from ScienceDirect, Springer Link and the Wiley Online Library using the keywords “ovarian cancer” AND “endometriosis.” The articles were limited to those written in the English language, peer-reviewed and published between 2002-2019. Systematic reviews and meta-analyses were excluded as well as non-article sources. Six studies were deemed relevant to our systematic literature review. Four studies confirmed an association between endometriosis and ovarian cancer. In the two other studies, one of them had inconclusive results while the other was unable to confirm a link. The majority of the studies supported the association between endometriosis and the development of ovarian cancer. However, due to the unknown cause of ovarian cancer and variation in results, further research should be conducted. Furthermore, research should also be reinforced in regard to what specific types of ovarian cancer are associated with endometriosis.