Evidence to suggest endometriosis increases cancer risk, regardless of whether women have given birth before, has been uncovered by a team of Swedish doctors.
Out of a total of 63,630 women with endometriosis, 3,822 went on to develop cancer. Although there was no overall increase in the risk of cancer, the women faced a higher risk of certain forms of the disease.
Ovarian cancer was 37% more prevalent, while the risk of endocrine, kidney, thyroid and brain tumours increased by 38%, 36%, 33% and 27% respectively. Malignant melanoma was increased by 23% and breast cancer by 8%. However, the condition reduced the risk of cervical cancer by 29%.
The study showed that the cancer risk remained similar regardless of how many children a woman had. The researchers said this made it unlikely that fertility problems associated with endometriosis were to blame for the increased cancer risk.
Anna-Sofia Melin, from Karolinska University hospital in Stockholm, commented: “Our hope is that doctors start to view the endometriosis disease as a serious disease that causes a lot of suffering to the patient and also may lead to cancer.”
