Menstruation-ovarian cancer link

Could there be a link between women's menstrual periods and ovarian cancer? Preliminary research from St. George's University of London suggests there
may be something to that theory.

Often times ovarian cancer is referred to as the silent killer. This is because the disease is almost stealth with few symptoms during the early stages when it could be treated. Diagnosis is often determined a the advanced or end stages of the disease when it is too late to treat effectively. An estimated 125,000 women die of ovarian cancer each year.

The theory is that the constant injury and repair caused by ovulation may affect or possibly trigger the development of ovarian cancer. As the egg is released form the ovary, wound develops in the layer of tissue covering the lining of the interior of the ovary from which the eggs are released. This puts the ovary in a continuous cycle of recovery and may actually cause trauma to the cells leading to the development of cancer.

Some anecdotal evidence may be the reduced occurrence of ovarian cancer in women who take certain types of birth control which reduce their number of menstrual cycles. Fewer menstrual cycles reduce the chance of ovarian
cancer.

Dr. Tanya Shaw and her team at St. George's are researching now this
so-called continual state of repair that the ovaries experience. "By
looking at the pre-cancerous lesions and ovarian tumours, we hope to
improve our understanding of the relationship between the injury, the
healing process and ovarian cancer."

Dr. Mark Matfield of AICR said, "Often it's only by backing research into
new theories about cancer that we will really change our understanding of
how different types of cancer are caused - and how we can treat or prevent
them."

Source: AICR, ScienceDaily