INCIDENCE
The overall mortality from epithilial ovarian cancer has changed little over the past 20 years.
AGE
ovarian cancer is adisease of increasing age.The incidence remains low in the under 40 age group,but rises dramatically through the fifth decade.The maximum incidence occurs in the 80 to 84 year old age group.Although most cases are currently identified in women younger than this age group, the elderly population will increase over the next two to three decades and therefore the total number of cases of ovarian cancer can be expected to rise.
FAMILY HISTORY
That afamilial predisposition to ovarian cancer exist has been recognized for along time ,but it is only over the past decade that the hereditory factor for these familial problem has been defined.
REPRODUCTIVE FACTORS
The multible pregnancies may increase the risk of ovarian cancer,in comparison to women who had carried single pregnancies, women who had had atwin pregnancy faced no increase risk of subsequently developing ovarian cancer.
BREAST- FEEDING
The effect of breast-feeding are separated from the effect of pregnancy.Asmall protective effect from breast-feeding was found.
LATE MENOPAUSE
It has been thought that along menstrual life are significant risk factors toward the development of ovarian cancer.
RACE
Data from tumor registries suggest that rates of epithilial cancer are significanctly lower in subsaharan african than in Europe and the United states.For Example,age standardized rates (ASR)are 6.6 per 100,000 in Uganda compared with 12.4 in the United Kingdom.That this difference may be due to racial variance as apposed to other environmental factors has been suggested.
DIET AND OBESITY.
Dietary factors have been implicated in increased ovarian cancer risk .In particular galactose and animal fat or for meat consumption have been postulated to increase risk while ahigh vegetable diet or for high consumption of green vegetable and high consumption of olive oil have been suggested to decrease risk.Asingle population based cohort study has suggested that obesity may be arisk factor for ovarian cancer .For body mass index(weight divided by height squared ≥30) increase the risk significantly.
