The researchers found that the risk of subsequent ovarian cancer increased to more than three times the average risk if the women had been diagnosed with breast cancer between the ages of 15 and 39. For Hispanic women diagnosed with breast cancer before age 50, the risk was nearly four times higher than expected, and for Asian women under 50 it was nearly three times the expected incidence. African-American women under 50 had double the expected risk of getting ovarian cancer. Non-Hispanic white women under 50 had an 80 percent higher risk of ovarian cancer, which was the lowest among ethnic groups but was still significantly higher than average. Women who were diagnosed with breast cancer when they were over 50 did not have a significantly higher risk of getting ovarian cancer.
Breast cancer is the most frequently diagnosed cancer among women in the United States.
Last year, about 180,000 new cases were diagnosed and an estimated 13,500 women died from the disease. Heightened public awareness and increased breast cancer screening has resulted in lower death rates and higher rates of new diagnoses. Although ovarian cancer diagnoses were much lower with about 25,400 new cases reported last year, approximately 14,500 women died from the disease. Breast cancer survivors may be more susceptible than normal to ovarian cancer because of these shared risks. The more we understand about these risks, the more we increase the chances of diagnosing ovarian cancer in its early, more easily treatable stages.