Cataract & Ovarian Cancer Risk

There may be a relationship whereby women who develop Cataracts are less prone to developing Ovarian Cancer according to researchers. It is widely recognized that the major health benefit of exposure to Ultraviolet (UV) Radiation from the sun is the production of Vitamin D, which is helpful in protection against several human cancers, including Ovarian Carcinoma. On the other hand, Ultraviolet (UV) Radiation from the sun is a recognized risk factor for Cataract development. Researchers reporting in the November 2011 publication Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers & Prevention studied 709 women with primary invasive ovarian carcinoma and 1101 controls to examine the association of Ovarian Carcinoma risk with a history of Cataract. Some interesting findings were that older age, a history of Type 2 Diabetes and skin cancer were significant risk factors for developing a Cataract.

Further, a history of Cataract was reported by 14% of cases and 17% of controls and was significantly associated with a reduced Ovarian Carcinoma risk. These findings add indirect evidence to the hypothesis that lifetime Vitamin D exposure may be inversely associated with risk of Ovarian Carcinoma. Additional studies are needed to further investigate the potential behavioral and biological factors that might influence association of cataracts with ovarian cancer.