Less common than breast cancer, ovarian cancer affects approximately 5200 French women each year. Its mortality rates are high because they are often detected late. And if certain risk factors are singled out (endometriosis, BRCA genes), environmental factors could also be responsible.
The results of a study carried out in Montreal (Canada) from 2011 to 2016 on the links between ovarian cancer And working environment have just been published. Researchers analyzed data from 491 Canadian women with ovarian cancer and compared it to 897 healthy women. And so it would be women working in the hairdressing and beauty industry who would have a higher risk of developing ovarian cancer. Those who work in sales, textiles, construction but also accounting, would also be at risk. It should be noted that this particularly concerns women who have worked in these professions for 10 years or more.
Currently, only theasbestos has been directly implicated in the occurrence of ovarian cancer. However, the study implicated certain chemical agents: talc, ammonia, hydrogen peroxide, dyes and bleaches. There are also formaldehyde, synthetic fibers and polyester.
However, the study authors pointed out that “conclusions from these results are limited“, further research is needed to examine the links between ovarian cancer risk and different occupations. According to Kevin McConway, professor of applied statistics at the Open University (UK), this study is “exploratory” And “aims to generate new hypotheses“.
Women still too underrepresented in cancer research
Finally, in a communicated attached to the study, Melissa Friesen and Laura Beane Freeman, members of the National Cancer Institute, recalled the lack of representation of women in cancer studies: “by excluding women, we miss the opportunity to identify risk factors for cancers specific to women, to assess whether there are gender-specific differences in risk, and to study exposures occurring in occupations primarily occupied by women. women.”
Sources:
- Occupational environment and ovarian cancer risk, BMJ JournalJuly 10, 2023
- Science Media CenterJuly 10, 2023
