Ovarian Cancer - Cause

Cause

In most cases, the exact cause of ovarian cancer remains unknown. The risk of developing ovarian cancer appears to be affected by several factors:

• Older women, and in those who have a first or second degree relative with the disease, have an increased risk.
• Hereditary forms of ovarian cancer can be caused by mutations in specific genes (most notably BRCA1 and BRCA2, but also in genes for hereditary nonpolyposis colorectal cancer).
• Infertile women and those with a condition called endometriosis, and those who use postmenopausal estrogen replacement therapy are at increased risk. Analysis of 316 high-grade serous ovarian adenocarcinomas found that the TP53 gene was mutated in 96% of cases. Other genes commonly mutated were NF1, BRCA1, BRCA2, RB1 and cyclin-dependent kinase 12 (CDK12).