Obesity, diabetes, PCOS causing rise in gynaecological cancers among young Indian women, say experts

Obesity diabetes and Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome PCOS are the key reasons why India is seeing a rise in gynaecological cancers like endometrial ovarian and uterus said experts on MondayThe rise is particularly of concern among younger women and calls for greater awareness and early screeningThere have been more incidences of endometrial cancer cancer that develops in the lining of the uterus among young women in their early 30s a condition traditionally seen in postmenopausal womenldquoAs obesity rates climb and more women delay childbearing or remain childless they face prolonged exposure to oestrogen a known risk factor for endometrial cancer Conversely progesterone produced during pregnancy provides a protective effect against this cancerrdquo Dr Vandana Jain Sr Consultant and Chief of Gynae Oncology Services Rajiv Gandhi Cancer Institute and Research Centre RGCIRC told IANSldquoWomen with conditions like Polycystic Ovarian Disease PCOD who often do not ovulate regularly also find themselves at heightened riskrdquo Jain addedAccording to statistics 1 in 100 women are either diagnosed with cancer of the uterus or cancer of the ovary However a steady rise in the numbers of these two cancers has been observed of lateldquoObesity diabetes and PCOS have all been scientifically proven to be the reasons for the rise in the incidence of cancer of the uterus and ovary albeit indirectlyrdquo Dr Sai Lakshmi Daayana Senior Consultant Surgical Oncology Apollo Cancer Centres Hyderabad told IANSOvarian cancer is the third most common type of cancer among women in India According to the Indian Council of Medical Research ICMR the ageadjusted incidence rate of ovarian cancer in India is estimated to be around 68 per 100000 womenDaayana said in the majority of cancers of the ovary no particular cause is identifiable The majority of these patients are above 50 years of ageldquoHowever it has been established that women who seek fertility treatment are at an increased risk of developing cancers of the ovary many years down the line Previously infertility was seen in about 110 couples This number has now risen to 13 capsules PCOS also contributes to a majority of female infertilityrdquo the expert saidFurther the doctor explained that cancer of the uterus is seen with increasing frequency in two groups of people Uterus cancer in women aged 50 and above who have attained menopause is due to the everincreasing incidence of diabetes and obesityrdquo Daayana saidThe other group of women where alarming numbers of cancers of the uterus are seen is the PCOS cohortldquoUnfortunately this group is much younger a majority are in their late 20s or 30s and most of them have yet to conceive These women face menstrual issues such as scanty and infrequent periods diabeteslike metabolic profile and weight gain all three being causative factors for cancer of the uterusrdquo Daayana told IANSStressing the importance of maintaining a healthy lifestyle the experts called for longterm lifestyle changes and medicationAlso ReadWhy contraception is still essential after 40 until menopause is confirmedThis story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed agencies Midday accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability trustworthiness reliability and data of the text Midday managementmiddaycom reserves the sole right to alter delete or remove without notice the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever