Page Contents
Risk factors are certain conditions that raise your chances of getting a disease. For each person, there’s a mix of genetic, biological and lifestyle factors that play a part in ovarian cancer risk.
For people who are at a higher risk of being diagnosed with ovarian cancer, Fred Hutch Cancer Center has the Breast and Ovarian Cancer Prevention Clinic, made up of specialists focused on screening and prevention.
Take Charge of Your Health
Talk to your primary care provider if you have symptoms that you think may be ovarian cancer. UW Medicine Primary Care can help you get started. Learn about Fred Hutch's relationship with UW Medicine.
Ovarian Cancer Risk Factors
The risk of ovarian cancer goes up with age. Most cases happen after menopause. About half happen at age 63 or later.
A family history of ovarian cancer in your mother, sister or daughter or in two or more relatives is an important risk factor. A family history of breast cancer may also increase your risk.
Other factors that may raise your risk for ovarian cancer include:
- Having a personal history of breast cancer, endometrial cancer, colon cancer or Lynch syndrome (a condition passed down in families that’s also called hereditary nonpolyposis colon cancer, or HNPCC)
- Having a mutation or abnormal change in the BRCA1 or BRCA2 gene (known as the breast-ovarian susceptibility gene)
- Having Ashkenazi Jewish heritage, which increases the chance that you might have a BRCA1 or BRCA2 mutation
- Having endometriosis
- Starting menopause after age 52
How Ovarian Cancer Can Be Prevented
If you are at high risk for ovarian cancer, Fred Hutch has a special program to help. Our Breast and Ovarian Cancer Prevention Clinic offers a personalized approach to risk assessment, screening and prevention for people at high risk.
The exact cause of all ovarian cancers is not known, so there’s no clear way to prevent it for sure. You may be able to help reduce your risk by maintaining a healthy weight.
Several other things help protect against ovarian cancer. But this doesn’t mean you should do them just to try to prevent this disease. Each has a range of risks and benefits. If you’re thinking about taking any of these actions, talk with your primary care provider or gynecologist first to understand all the pros and cons:
- Taking birth control pills
- Giving birth (risk drops further with more than one birth)
- Breastfeeding (risk drops more the longer you breastfeed)
- Having surgery to close your fallopian tubes (tubal ligation, or having your “tubes tied”)
- Having surgery to remove your fallopian tubes (salpingectomy)
- Having surgery to remove your fallopian tubes and ovaries (salpingo-oophorectomy), sometimes chosen to prevent ovarian cancer by people at high risk
How Fred Hutch Is Researching Ovarian Cancer Prevention
Fred Hutch researchers are working on multiple projects to help prevent ovarian cancer.
Holly Harris, MPH, ScD, is doing the first large-scale analysis of people with endometriosis to pinpoint which of them are most likely to get ovarian cancer. Her project is combining data from 10 previous endometriosis studies, including some that have followed patients for up to 35 years. She aims to identify a subset of high-risk people based on risk factors, like medicine use or other health factors. This group may benefit from closer monitoring or more aggressive endometriosis treatment to prevent cancer. Dr. Harris holds the Bus Family Endowed Chair.
Elizabeth Swisher, MD, is studying the reasons some people start genetic testing to understand their inherited risk for ovarian cancer but then don’t complete the process. Learning their risk level might prompt some of them to take steps to prevent the disease.
“Our best chance for decreasing mortality for ovarian cancer is prevention,” said Dr. Swisher, who holds the Torkelson Family Endowed Chair. “Genetic testing allows us to document a small subset of women that have a very high risk of ovarian cancer. And those cancers can be entirely prevented if we identify their risk. Every woman that dies of hereditary ovarian cancer is a life unnecessarily lost. Making this testing more accessible is an opportunity to save lives.”
Barbara Norquist, MD, is doing studies to compare different surgery options to prevent ovarian cancer in women who are at risk due to BRCA1 or BRCA2 gene mutations.
So far, researchers haven’t found clear links between things like diet and exercise and risk for ovarian cancer.
The American Institute for Cancer Research recommends these lifestyle choices to help prevent cancer overall:
- Maintain a healthy weight.
- Be physically active every day.
- Focus your food choices on whole grains, vegetables, fruit and beans.
- Try to get the nutrients you need through these foods, not supplements.
- Eat less “fast food” or other processed foods (especially if they are high in fat, starch or sugar) and less red or processed meat.
- Drink less alcohol and fewer drinks sweetened with sugar.
- Don’t smoke. Avoid other tobacco products.
- Protect your skin from the sun.
“Many of the steps you can take to reduce your risk of cancer have the added benefit of helping to reduce your risk of cardiovascular disease, diabetes and possibly even dementia,” said Garnet Anderson, PhD, senior vice president and director of Fred Hutch’s Public Health Sciences Division and holder of the Fred Hutch 40th Anniversary Endowed Chair. “There are plenty of reasons to make these changes.”