Assessment of gynecological and lifestyle-related risk factors of ovarian cancer.

Introduction: Ovarian cancer remains the most lethal gynecological cancer. Assessment of gynecological and lifestyle-related risk factors is essential to reduce the occurrence and the mortality rate of the disease.

Material and methods: Surveys were collected among 71 patients with ovarian cancer and 76 women without gynecological cancer. Questionnaires included questions about medical history and lifestyle in the past.

Results: The control group had breastfed longer (p = 0.034) and used hormonal contraception more often (p = 0.00037) than the study group. The patients in FIGO (French. Fédération internationale de gynécologie et d'obstétrique) stage III or IV had a higher number of lifetime ovulatory cycles (p = 0.001) than the control group. Women at FIGO stage IV slept significantly less than patients at other stages (p = 0.0026). Oncological patients reporting sedentary work more often were diagnosed at advanced stages (p = 0.00328). The risk of ovarian cancer was 0.046 times smaller for women who had given birth (p = 0.025), 0.94 times smaller for every one month longer breastfeeding (p = 0.0428), 0.677 times smaller for every one year older age at menarche (p = 0.0152), 0.106 times smaller for women who had used hormonal contraception (p = 0.0019), and 5.46 times higher for women who ever worked night shifts (p = 0.0128).

Conclusions: Our study proves the importance of both gynecological and lifestyle-related risk factors of ovarian cancer and their impact on its prevalence. Lifestyle-related risk factors cannot be ignored, as they might have a direct influence on the aggravation of the risk of this type of cancer. Promoting an adequate amount of physical activity and sleep, breastfeeding, and having children could improve the detection and treatment of ovarian cancer in general.