News Media Cover PHI Study Linking Menstrual Cycles to Ovarian Cancer

San Diego, Calif. — Women with irregular menstrual cycles had a twofold increased risk of death from ovarian cancer, according to a large, prospective PHI study presented here today at the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) Annual Meeting 2014, an AACR press release reported.

“Among reproductive cancers, ovarian cancer is the most common cause of death, because it is usually diagnosed late in the disease process after it has spread,” said Barbara A. Cohn, Ph.D., M.P.H., director of the Child Health and Development Studies at the Public Health Institute (PHI) in Berkeley, Calif. “Unfortunately, there is no reliable method for early diagnosis or screening, and symptoms like abdominal pain and bloating often do not come to a woman’s attention until the cancer has spread.

“It is notable that the 2.4-fold increase in risk of ovarian cancer death we observed for women with irregular/infrequent cycles in this study is close to the threefold increase in risk observed for women with a family history of ovarian cancer in a first-degree relative,” explained Cohn. “Our study finding could lead to better understanding of the 90 percent of ovarian cancers that occur in women with no family history of ovarian cancer and with no known high-risk inherited mutations.”

The study was picked up for coverage by various media, including:

• WebMD
• Boston Globe
• US News & World Report
• The Plain Dealer
• HealthDay
• Philly.com
• Drugs.com
• ecancernews
• livescience
• CBS Sacramento
• San Francisco Chronicle
• OncLive
• Winnipeg Free Press