Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jun 25, 2026

In Vivo and Ex Vivo Approaches to Study Ovarian Cancer Metastatic Colonization of Milky Spot Structures in Peritoneal Adipose
Published on: October 14, 2015
Risk of ovarian cancer in women with first-degree relatives with cancer
Marie Soegaard1, Kirsten Frederiksen, Allan Jensen
1Institute of Cancer Epidemiology, Danish Cancer Society, Copenhagen, Denmark.
Objective:
To assess the risk of ovarian cancer in women with first-degree relatives with cancer at one of the four most frequent hereditary sites based on validated cancer diagnoses and to examine the association according to age at diagnosis of ovarian cancer and histology.
Design:
Case-control study.
Setting And Population:
First-degree relatives of 554 women with invasive epithelial ovarian cancer and 1,564 controls were included.
Methods:
Analyses were performed using multiple logistic regression models.
Results:
Ovarian cancer in a first-degree relative was significantly associated with increased risk of ovarian cancer (OR, 2.4; 95% CI, 1.4-4.1 (mother or sister)). Ovarian cancer in a first-degree relative appeared to be a stronger risk factor for early-onset (< or =50 years) ovarian cancer than late-onset (OR, 5.3; 95% CI, 2.0-14.1 vs. OR, 1.8; 95% CI, 1.0-3.4). The positive association with ovarian cancer family history tended to be with non-mucinous tumors. Breast cancer in one first-degree female relative was not significantly associated with risk of ovarian cancer.
Conclusion:
Ovarian cancer in a first-degree relative is a very strong predictor of epithelial ovarian cancer, especially early-onset ovarian cancer. Ovarian cancer in first-degree relatives seems to be positively associated with especially non-mucinous tumors.
Related Concept Videos
Cancer Prevention
Some...
Oogenesis
Disorders of the Female Reproductive System
Cancers Originate from Somatic Mutations in a Single Cell
The Retinoblastoma Gene
The first-ever tumor suppressor gene called Rb was identified in retinoblastoma - a rare eye tumor in children. In inherited forms of the disease, a child inherits one defective copy of the Rb gene, which predisposes them to retinoblastoma. However,...
Relative Risk

