Ovarian cancer kills thousands of women each year. Those who have been diagnosed with the disease may not see the light under the tunnel. However, doctors and scientists have been working tirelessly to find the cure.
As for those who fear ovarian cancer, there may be a way to prevent this from happening. While conclusions to the study have yet to be fully set in place, bone loss medicines may be just what they need to stop cancer in its tracks.
A study was conducted and initial reports suggest that medicines often prescribed to prevent bone loss may help lower the risks of ovarian cancer. This was shown by a research made by experts from The University of Queensland.
What the UQ researchers did was compare the medications that were taken by more than 50,000 women who were over the age of 50. They utilized de-identified medical records from the years 2004 to 2013 so that they were able to analyze differences in women diagnosed with ovarian cancer and women who weren’t.
UQ School of Public Health PhD Candidate Karen Tuesley stated how those women who took nitrogen-based bisphosphonates had lower chances of developing ovarian cancer. “The findings varied between ovarian cancer subtypes and included a 50 per cent lower risk for endometrioid cancers and 16 percent for serous ovarian cancers,” Ms. Tuesley said.
She added, “We don’t yet know why these medicines may lower the risk of ovarian cancer in women, but previous studies have shown that nitrogen-based bisphosphonates can stop the disease spreading in laboratory grown cells. Ovarian cancer is the eighth most common cancer in Australian women with fewer than 50 percent of patients alive five years after diagnosis.”
In the year 2021, there were around 1,720 cases of ovarian cancer diagnosed. With the figure stated, about 83 percent of these happened with women above the age of 50. This was according to the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare.
There are also more than 200,000 Australians that were prescribed bisphosphonates that had nitrogen each year. Hence, this was actually one of the most prescribed drug of this kind in the country. The goal of the medicines is to stave off bone loss and help reduce fractures for those who suffer from osteoporosis.
PhD Supervisor Associate Professor Susan Jordan stated how important this study is because most known risk factors for ovarian cancer aren’t easily modifiable. “Earlier studies have found medicines used to treat other diseases may be useful in preventing cancer, prompting this investigation into bisphosphonates,” Dr. Jordan claimed.
“Further research is needed to understand why these medicines might affect ovarian cancer subtypes differently. We know ovarian cancer subtypes look different under the microscope and have unique risk factors. However, it is important to look at each subtype separately to improve our knowledge and understanding of these cancers. This study may help inform medicine choice for women with osteoporosis and suggest areas for further research to better understand how ovarian cancer develops.”
A paper regarding this very subject has been published in the JNCI: Journal of the National Cancer Institute.
Recommended For You
