Women who undergo surgery for the condition endometriosis may enjoy protection against cancer, researchers reported yesterday.
A study in Sweden has found these women have a reduced risk of developing cancer of the ovaries.
The condition is linked to an increased risk of ovarian cancer.
The researchers say that their research shows that radical surgery, involving removing all visible endometriosis, seems to be the most effective.
But there was no evidence that hormonal treatments protected against cancer.
The researchers compared some 220 women with endometriosis who developed ovarian cancer with another 416 women with the condition who did not develop cancer.
The findings are reported in the journal Acta Obstetricia et Gynecologica Scandinavica.
Researcher D. Anna-Sofia Melin, from the Karolinska Institute and Karolinska University Hospital, Stockholm, Sweden, said: "Patients with endometriosis are typically treated with hormones, or in more severe cases, with surgery. We wanted to expand understanding of ovarian cancer risk in women with endometriosis who had some type of surgery or hormone therapy."
Hormonal and Surgical Treatments for Endometriosis and Risk of Epithelial Ovarian Cancer. Acta Obstetricia et Gynecologica Scandinavica 11 April 2013; doi: 10.1111/aogs.12123
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