CPS-II & CPS-3 Studies Inform About the Risks of Ovarian Cancer

Data from Cancer Prevention Study-II (CPS-II) and CPS-3 participants reveal key facts about the risks of developing ovarian cancer.

Alpa Patel, PhD, Lauren Teras, PhD, and other American Cancer Society (ACS) epidemiologists have used data collected from participants in our Cancer Prevention Study II (CPS-II) for several published research projects. Here are some of the key findings:

Those who sit for 6 hours (Leisure-Time Spent Sitting and Site-Specific Cancer Incidence in a Large U.S. Cohort) or more a day during leisure time (not at work) have a higher risk of developing ovarian cancer, and of developing cancer in general, compared with those who sit fewer than 3 hours a day.
After menopause, the risk of developing ovarian cancer increases 25% for every 5 years of estrogen-only (without progestin) hormone replacement therapy. Women who use estrogen-only hormone replacement therapy for 20 years or more have a nearly 3 times higher risk of developing ovarian cancer.
Those who have a rotating shift-work schedule have a higher risk of dying from ovarian cancer than those who don’t.
Moderate to vigorous exercise, specifically walking, does not seem to reduce the risk of ovarian cancer.

We're Testing Participant Blood Samples to Learn More About Biomarkers & Genetic Risks

Thanks to CPS-II and CPS-3 participants, we have blood samples to find biomarkers that will identify early signs of ovarian cancer and to find information about risk factors that are hard to capture through questionnaires, such as how to identify inherited genetic mutations that increase a woman’s risk for ovarian cancer.

ACS investigators are testing the blood samples in collaboration with Ovarian Cancer Cohort Consortium (OC3) investigators.

The ACS’s CPS-II Nutrition Cohort is part of the Collaborative Group on Epidemiological Studies of Ovarian Cancer. This group helped establish the increased risk for ovarian cancer in women with excess body weight and the decreased risk of ovarian cancer for women who use oral contraceptives.”

Alpa Patel, PhD

Senior Vice President Population Science

American Cancer Society

asian woman wearing turquoise patterned shirt

Featured Term: Biomarker

A measurable molecular, genetic, chemical, or physical characteristic in the blood or other bodily fluids, such as sweat and tears, that is a sign of a normal or abnormal process or of a health condition or disease. A biomarker may be used to see how well the body responds to a treatment for a disease.

Featured Term: Susceptibility Biomarkers

A biomarker that signals the potential, or risk, a person has to develop a disease before they have symptoms. For instance, low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol is a susceptibility biomarker for heart disease.

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