Causes of Ovarian Cancer
List of causes of Ovarian Cancer
Following is a list of causes or underlying conditions
(see also Misdiagnosis of underlying causes of Ovarian Cancer)
that could possibly cause Ovarian Cancer includes:
More causes:
see full list of causes for Ovarian cancer
Ovarian Cancer Causes: Book Excerpts
Ovarian Cancer as a complication of other conditions:
Other conditions that might have
Ovarian Cancer as a complication may,
potentially, be an underlying cause of Ovarian Cancer.
Our database lists the following as having
Ovarian Cancer as a complication of that condition:
Ovarian Cancer as a symptom:
Conditions listing Ovarian Cancer
as a symptom may also be potential underlying causes of Ovarian Cancer.
Our database lists the following as having
Ovarian Cancer as a symptom of that condition:
Medical news summaries relating to Ovarian Cancer:
The following medical news items are relevant to causes of Ovarian Cancer:
Related information on causes of Ovarian Cancer:
As with all medical conditions,
there may be many causal factors.
Further relevant information on causes of Ovarian Cancer may be found in:
Causes of Ovarian Cancer: Online Medical Books
16 MEDICAL BOOKS ONLINE!
Review excerpts from medical books online, free, without registration,
for more information about the causes of Ovarian Cancer.
Introduction: Malignant Neoplasms:
What causes cancer?
(Professional Guide to Diseases (Eighth Edition))
Researchers have found that cancer develops from mutations within the genes of cells. Thus, cancer is a genetic disease. Cancer susceptibility genes are of two types. Some are oncogenes, which activate cell division and influence embryonic development, and some are tumor suppressor genes, which halt cell division.
These genes are typically found in normal human cells, but certain kinds of mutations may transform the normal cells. Inherited defects may cause a genetic mutation, whereas exposure to a carcinogen may cause an acquired mutation. Current evidence indicates that carcinogenesis results from a complex interaction of carcinogens and accumulated mutations in several genes.
In animal studies of the ability of viruses to transform cells, some human viruses exhibit carcinogenic potential. For example, the Epstein-Barr virus, the cause of infectious mononucleosis, has been linked to Burkitt's lymphoma and nasopharyngeal cancer.
High-frequency radiation, such as ultraviolet and ionizing radiation, damages the genetic material known as deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA), possibly inducing genetically transferable abnormalities. Other factors, such as a person's tissue type and hormonal status, interact to potentiate radiation's carcinogenic effect. Examples of substances that may damage DNA and induce carcinogenesis include:
❑alkylating agents — leukemia
❑aromatic hydrocarbons and benzopyrene (from polluted air) — lung cancer
❑asbestos — mesothelioma of the lung
❑tobacco — cancer of the lung, oral cavity and upper airways, esophagus, pancreas, kidneys, and bladder
❑vinyl chloride — angiosarcoma of the liver.
Diet has also been implicated, especially in the development of GI cancer as a result of a high animal fat diet. Additives composed of nitrates and certain methods of food preparation — particularly charbroiling — are also recognized factors.
The role of hormones in carcinogenesis is still controversial, but it seems that excessive use of some hormones, especially estrogen, produces cancer in animals. Also, the synthetic estrogen diethylstilbestrol causes vaginal cancer in some daughters of women who were treated with it. It's unclear, however, whether changes in human hormonal balance retard or stimulate cancer development.
Some forms of cancer and precancerous lesions result from genetic predisposition either directly (as in Wilms' tumor and retinoblastoma) or indirectly (in association with inherited conditions such as Down syndrome or immunodeficiency diseases). Expressed as autosomal recessive, X-linked, or autosomal dominant disorders, their common characteristics include:
❑early onset of malignant disease
❑increased incidence of bilateral cancer in paired organs (breasts, adrenal glands, kidneys, and eighth cranial nerve [acoustic neuroma])
❑increased incidence of multiple primary malignancies in nonpaired organs
❑abnormal chromosome complement in tumor cells.
» READ BOOK EXCERPT ONLINE »
Source: Professional Guide to Diseases (Eighth Edition), 2005
Ovarian cysts:
Causes
(Professional Guide to Diseases (Eighth Edition))
Follicular cysts are generally very small and arise from follicles that overdistend. When such cysts persist into menopause, they secrete excessive amounts of estrogen in response to the hypersecretion of follicle-stimulating hormone and luteinizing hormone that normally occurs during menopause. (See Follicular cyst.)
Granulosa-lutein cysts, which occur within the corpus luteum, are functional, nonneoplastic enlargements of the ovaries caused by excessive accumulation of blood during the hemorrhagic phase of the menstrual cycle. Theca-lutein cysts are commonly bilateral and filled with clear, straw-colored fluid; they’re often associated with hydatidiform mole, choriocarcinoma, or hormone therapy (with human chorionic gonadotropin [hCG] or clomiphene citrate).
Polycystic ovarian disease is part of the Stein-Leventhal syndrome and stems from endocrine abnormalities.
» READ BOOK EXCERPT ONLINE »
Source: Professional Guide to Diseases (Eighth Edition), 2005
Uterine cancer:
Causes and incidence
(Professional Guide to Diseases (Eighth Edition))
Uterine cancer seems linked to several predisposing factors:
❑abnormal uterine bleeding
❑diabetes
❑familial tendency
❑history of uterine polyps or endometrial hyperplasia
❑hypertension
❑low fertility index and anovulation
❑nulliparity
❑obesity
❑uninterrupted estrogen stimulation.
In most cases, uterine cancer is an adenocarcinoma that metastasizes late, usually from the endometrium to the cervix, ovaries, fallopian tubes, and other peritoneal structures. It may spread to distant organs, such as the lungs and the brain, through the blood or the lymphatic system. Lymph node involvement can also occur. Less common are adenoacanthoma, endometrial stromal sarcoma, lymphosarcoma, mixed mesodermal tumors (including carcinosarcoma), and leiomyosarcoma.
Uterine cancer usually affects postmenopausal women between ages 50 and 60; it's uncommon between ages 30 and 40 and extremely rare before age 30. Most premenopausal women who develop uterine cancer have a history of anovulatory menstrual cycles or other hormonal imbalance. About 37,000 new cases of uterine cancer are reported annually, with approximately 6,400 deaths predicted for 1999.
» READ BOOK EXCERPT ONLINE »
Source: Professional Guide to Diseases (Eighth Edition), 2005
Ovarian cancer:
Causes and incidence
(Professional Guide to Diseases (Eighth Edition))
Exactly what causes ovarian cancer isn't known, but the greatest number of cases occurs in the fifth decade of life. However, it can occur during childhood. Other contributing factors include infertility; nulliparity; familial tendency; ovarian dysfunction; irregular menses; and possible exposure to asbestos, talc, and industrial pollutants.
Primary epithelial tumors arise in the ovarian surface epithelium; germ cell tumors, in the ovum itself; and sex cord tumors, in the ovarian stroma. Ovarian tumors spread rapidly intraperitoneally by local extension or surface seeding and, occasionally, through the lymphatics and the bloodstream. Generally, extraperitoneal spread is through the diaphragm into the chest cavity, which may cause pleural effusions. Other metastasis is rare.
» READ BOOK EXCERPT ONLINE »
Source: Professional Guide to Diseases (Eighth Edition), 2005
Malignant spinal neoplasms:
Causes and incidence
(Professional Guide to Diseases (Eighth Edition))
Primary tumors of the spinal cord may be extramedullary (occurring outside the spinal cord) or intramedullary (occurring within the cord itself). Extramedullary tumors may be intradural (meningiomas and schwannomas), which account for 60% of all primary malignant spinal cord neoplasms, or extradural (metastatic tumors from breasts, lungs, prostate, leukemia, or lymphomas), which account for 25% of these malignant neoplasms.
Intramedullary tumors, or gliomas (astrocytomas or ependymomas), are comparatively rare, accounting for only about 10%. In children, they're low-grade astrocytomas.
Spinal cord tumors are rare compared with intracranial tumors (ratio of 1:4). They occur equally in men and women, with the exception of meningiomas, which occur mostly in women. Spinal cord tumors can occur anywhere along the length of the cord or its roots.
» READ BOOK EXCERPT ONLINE »
Source: Professional Guide to Diseases (Eighth Edition), 2005
Ovarian cysts:
Causes
(Handbook of Diseases)
Follicular cysts are generally small and arise from follicles that overdistend instead of going through the atretic stage of the menstrual cycle. When such cysts persist into menopause, they secrete excessive amounts of estrogen in response to the hypersecretion of follicle-stimulating hormone and luteinizing hormone that normally occurs during menopause.
Granulosa-lutein cysts, which occur within the corpus luteum, are functional, nonneoplastic enlargements of the ovaries caused by excessive accumulation of blood during the hemorrhagic phase of the menstrual cycle.
Theca-lutein cysts are commonly bilateral and filled with clear, straw-colored fluid; they’re commonly associated with hydatidiform mole, choriocarcinoma, or hormone therapy (with human chorionic gonadotropin [HCG] or clomiphene citrate).
Polycystic ovarian disease is part of Stein-Leventhal syndrome and stems from endocrine abnormalities.
» READ BOOK EXCERPT ONLINE »
Source: Handbook of Diseases, 2003
Uterine cancer:
Causes
(Handbook of Diseases)
Uterine cancer seems linked to several predisposing factors:
❑ low fertility index and anovulation
❑ abnormal uterine bleeding
❑ obesity, hypertension, or diabetes
❑ familial tendency
❑ history of atypical endometrial hyperplasia
❑ estrogen therapy (still controversial).
Generally, uterine cancer is an adenocarcinoma that metastasizes late, usually from the endometrium to the cervix, ovaries, fallopian tubes, and other peritoneal structures. It may spread to distant organs, such as the lungs and the brain, through the blood or the lymphatic system. Lymph node involvement can also occur. Less common uterine tumors include adenoacanthoma, endometrial stromal sarcoma, lymphosarcoma, mixed mesodermal tumors (including carcinosar- coma), and leiomyosarcoma.
» READ BOOK EXCERPT ONLINE »
Source: Handbook of Diseases, 2003
Ovarian cancer:
Causes
(Handbook of Diseases)
The exact cause of ovarian cancer is unknown, but its incidence is noticeably higher in women of upper socioeconomic levels between the ages of 20 and 54. However, it can occur during childhood. Certain genes, including BRCA1 and BRCA2, may increase risk. Other contributing factors include age at menopause; infertility; celibacy; high-fat diet; exposure to asbestos, talc, and industrial pollutants; nulliparity; familial tendency; and history of breast or uterine cancer.
Primary epithelial tumors arise in the müllerian epithelium; germ cell tumors, in the ovum itself; and sex cord tumors, in the ovarian stroma (the ovary’s supporting framework).
Ovarian tumors spread rapidly intraperitoneally by local extension or surface seeding and, occasionally, through the lymphatics and the bloodstream. Generally, extraperitoneal spread is through the diaphragm into the chest cavity, which may cause pleural effusions. Other types of metastasis are rare.
» READ BOOK EXCERPT ONLINE »
Source: Handbook of Diseases, 2003
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