[Risk factors associated to ovarian cancer]

To determine the risk factors associated to ovarian cancer.

A case-control study was carried out including 31 women with ovarian cancer and 69 patients with benign ovarian tumors corroborated with a histopathological study. We analyzed 26 independent variables, which classification was clinic, sociodemographic and ultrasonographic. The dependent variable was ovarian cancer, and it was assigned a value of 1 if it was present and 0 if it was absent. The statistical analysis was done using a logistic regression analysis, with an alpha value of 0.05.

The malignant tumor of epithelial cells was the most common histological variety and was seen in 22 cases (71%). There were 24 cases (77.4%) in clinical stage I at the time of the diagnosis. Out of the 26 studied variables late menarche (p = 0.02), multiparity (p = 0.02), loss of weight (p = 0.04), solid tumor (p = 0.02), mixed tumor (p = 0.02) and irregularities of the tumor (p = 0.03) were significant in the applied model.

The sociodemographic variables associated to ovarian cancer were: late menarche and multiparity; the clinical significant variable was loss of weight; and the ultrasonographic variables were solid tumor, mixed tumor and irregularities of the tumor. A population screening program is recommended in women who are in reproductive age, and it should include a gynecological ultrasonographic scanning in order to make an opportune diagnosis of this pathology.