Are women in certain professions at higher risk of ovarian cancer?

It is said by the Occupational & Environmental Medicine (OEM) that those working as hairdressers, barbers and beauticians are most likely to develop ovarian cancer.

Also, those working in sales, retail, clothing and construction can also be vulnerable, as they can be exposed to agents, including talcum powder, ammonia, propellant gases, petrol and bleach.

It was argued by the authors that the results from the study are ‘limited’, as they called for more professions to be examined to find the link in job sectors and ovarian cancer risk.

A team, led by academics at the University of Montreal in Canada, examined data 491 Canadian women with ovarian cancer and compared it to 897 women without disease. The study conducted a link between professions to ovarian cancer.

They included participants in the Prevention of Ovarian Cancer in Quebec study, of whom all age 18 to 79, which showed that more women with ovarian cancer had lower educational attainment, shorter oral contraceptive use, and either no or fewer children than women in the comparison group.

The study’s results showed us that those working for a decade or more as hairdressers, barbers and beauticians appeared to show a three-fold higher risk of developing ovarian cancer, as they are exposed to chemicals, 13 agents, hydrogen peroxide, dyes, and bleach daily.

It also showed that women working in accountancy for a decade were twice as likely to develop ovarian cancer, meanwhile construction workers were three times as likely. Shops assistants and other salespeople had a 45% increased risk whereas those who altered clothes appeared to have an 85% higher risk of developing ovarian cancer.

Overall, the study stated that women who are exposed to chemicals while at work are more likely to develop ovarian cancer than those who aren’t.

What is ovarian cancer?

Ovarian cancer affects the two small ovaries that store the eggs needed to make a baby. Anyone can develop ovarian cancer, but it is more likely to affect women over 50. Ovarian cancer can also run in the family which can make you at higher risk.

Symptoms: swollen stomach, feeling bloated, pain or tenderness in the pelvis, no appetite, urgent need to urinate or needing to do so more often more often, feeling tired all the time, bleeding through the vagina after menopause.

Further reading

Hazardous Substances at Work – What protection should you be provided with?

Ovarian cancer – NHS

Genetic mutations cancer risk – Ovarian Cancer Action

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