Gynecologic Cancer: Risk Factors, Interception and Prevention

Gynecologic cancers-including ovarian, endometrial and cervical cancers-account for approximately 100,000 new cases and over 30,000 deaths per year in the United States. The prevention and interception of these cancers would greatly impact outcomes and significantly reduce mortality rates. For ovarian cancer, screening in the general population is not considered effective; therefore, most cases of this cancer are diagnosed at a late stage with a poor survival rate. Endometrial cancer incidence and mortality have been markedly increasing in recent years, due in large part to increasing obesity rates and other lifestyle factors. Cervical cancer has had the benefit of the availability of both screening and prevention. Equity in the dissemination and implementation of these prevention and screening methods is essential for early diagnosis and treatment. These opportunities and challenges related to the diagnosis and high mortality of these gynecologic cancers emphasize the importance of identifying women at higher risk for these cancer types, and providing prevention/interception interventions to decrease incidence and improve outcomes.