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Scientists have discovered a common variant on chromosome 9 that can increase a woman’s risk of developing the most common type of ovarian cancer (epithelial cancer).

The deCODEme Complete Scan identifies this genetic variant and uses it to provide you with a personalized interpretation of your genetic risk for developing ovarian cancer.

Ovaries are reproductive glands found only in women. In addition to producing sex hormones, the ovaries produce and release eggs

Normally, women have a pair of ovaries, one on each side of the uterus, situated just below the opening to the fallopian tubes. At birth, the ovaries already contain millions of eggs cells (oocytes), which remain in an immature state until puberty. When triggered by the hormones of the menstrual cycle, some eggs start maturing each month but usually, only one egg reaches maturity during each cycle. The mature egg is released from the ovary in a process called ovulation. The egg then travels through the adjoining fallopian tube to the uterus. During its journey, the egg may be fertilized with male sperm and pregnancy can occur.

The ovaries are also the main source of the female hormones, estrogen and progesterone. These hormones control the development of female body characteristics and regulate a woman´s menstrual cycle and pregnancy.

Ovarian cancer can occur in one or both ovaries

There are different types of ovarian tumors classified according to the kind of cells the tumor started from and whether the tumor is benign or cancerous. The three main types of ovarian tumors are:

• Epithelial tumors – start from the cells that cover the outer surface (epithelium) of the ovary and are the most common type of ovarian cancer (≥ 80%).
• Germ cell tumors – start from the ovarian cells that give rise to the egg cells, and are much rarer than epithelial tumors.
• Stromal tumors – start from connective tissue cells that hold the ovary together and produce the sex hormones. This is the rarest type of ovarian cancer.

Ovarian cancer is the eighth most common cancer in women

Based on ovarian cancer statistics in the U.S., it is expected that 1.4% of women born today will be diagnosed with cancer of the ovary at some point during their lifetime. This represents the lifetime risk of ovarian cancer and means that 1 out of every 71 women will be diagnosed with this disease during their lifetime.

Genetics is a major risk factor for ovarian cancer

Although many environmental and lifestyle factors affect the risk of ovarian cancer, the single greatest known risk factor is a family history of the disease. This indicates that genetics is a major risk factor. Scientists already know that variants in the BRCA1 and BRCA2 genes significantly increase a woman’s chances of developing ovarian cancer. However, these variants are rare and account for less than 5% of all ovarian cancers.

Recently, scientists have discovered a common variant on chromosome 9 that can increase a woman’s risk of developing the most common type of ovarian cancer (epithelial cancer). This variant is found in approximately 70% of women of European descent (see Song et al, 2009).

deCODEme can calculate your genetic risk for ovarian cancer

The deCODEme Complete Scan identifies this genetic variant in the 9p22.2 region and uses it to provide female customers of European descent with a personalized interpretation of their genetic risk for developing ovarian cancer.

At present, the necessary scientific information to interpret the genetic risk for women of other ethnicities is not available. This information will be added as soon as it becomes available and we are assured of its quality.

This content was last reviewed on February 08, 2010.

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