Risk factors for benign, borderline and invasive mucinous ovarian tumors: Epidemiological evidence of a neoplastic continuum?

Abstract

OBJECTIVE: Some molecular and histological evidence suggests that mucinous epithelial ovarian cancers develop via a sequence from benign tumor through borderline tumor to invasive cancer. Such a sequence would predict some shared risk factors between the different tumor types. To investigate this, we examined risk factors for benign, borderline and invasive mucinous ovarian tumors. METHODS: A population-based case-control study was conducted in Australia between 2002 and 2005. Women with benign (n=133), borderline (n=147) and invasive (n=43) mucinous tumors of the ovary and women from the general population (n=1487) completed comprehensive health and lifestyle questionnaires. RESULTS: Althou..