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Researchers find differences in ovarian cancer risk factors by background
Ovarian cancer has one of the lowest survival rates of any cancer in Australia
Selected ovarian cancer risk factors vary for women of different racial and ethnic backgrounds, researchers from Sydney have found.
Led by Dr Melissa Merritt and Dr Nicola Meagher from the Daffodil Centre in collaboration with researchers from the University of Hawaii Cancer Center, the study, published in the American Journal of Epidemiology, focused on factors that increase or reduce risk in women of Asian, native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander, Hispanic and Non-Hispanic white groups.
The team analysed data from 11 studies involving more than 27,000 women with and without ovarian cancer, including one study in Australia and 10 in the USA and Canada.
Racial and ethnic backgrounds were self-reported by the study participants.
“We noted selected differences in the strength of these protective and risk factor associations across racial and ethnic groups,” said Merritt.
“For example, the study showed that some factors associated with a lower risk of epithelial ovarian cancer, such as the use of oral contraceptives, and having children, had an even stronger reduction in risk for Native Hawaiian, Pacific Islander and Asian women.”
The research showed that women who used oral contraceptives for over five years had a lower risk of developing ovarian cancer, but Asian, Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander women had an almost 70 per cent lower risk compared to women who had never used oral contraception, while Hispanic and white women had around a 50 percent lower risk.
Similarly, Hispanic and white women saw only a 50 per cent reduction in ovarian cancer risk after having three or more children, while Asian, Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander women had a 68-90 per cent lower risk compared to women with no children.
Dr Merritt said: “Interestingly, we observed that Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander women who reported having their tubes tied had a 75 per cent lower risk of developing ovarian cancer compared to those who did not have this procedure.
“The same comparison in Asian, Hispanic and white women, by contrast, showed only a 22-32 per cent reduction in risk. However, because this was the first study to evaluate tubal ligation and ovarian cancer risk in Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander women, more research needs to be done to confirm these findings.”
Ovarian cancer has one of the lowest survival rates of any cancer in Australia and, unlike many other cancers, survival has only slightly improved in recent decades.
These findings are believed to be significant because they show the importance of people’s racial and ethnic backgrounds when assessing their risk for ovarian cancer and when implementing public health measures to lower risk.
“It was already known that there were differences in ovarian cancer incidence rates between racial and ethnic groups, but assessment of ovarian cancer risk factors has so far been done mainly in White women,” explained Merritt.
“This is the first study of its scale to separate Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander women from Asian women, and the results will be important in delivering ovarian cancer public health programmes in the future.”
The Women’s Health Innovation Summit (WHIS), the event uniting the global women’s health ecosystem, has just announced 18 new speakers joining the agenda for its 2026 summit, taking place October 13–15 at Encore Boston Harbor.
The latest additions bring further depth across pharma, clinical research, health systems, venture, and policy, reinforcing WHIS’s role as the only platform where the full women’s health ecosystem convenes under one roof.
Newly confirmed speakers include:
- Kelle Moley, MD – VP, Women’s Health Early Phase Clinical Development, Cardiometabolic Research, Eli Lilly & Company
- Justine Levin-Allerhand – Executive Partner, Chief Corporate Development Officer & COO, Flagship Labs, Flagship Pioneering
- Sebnem Yildirimoglu, MD, PMP – Executive Director, Women’s Health Strategy, Premier Research
- Terri Stewart – Head of Global Healthcare & Government Affairs, EMD Serono
- Dr. Morag Grassie – Executive Director, Blavatnik Fund for Innovation, Yale
- Sandra Butler – Director, Design Impact, Mass General Brigham
- Zhenya Lindgardt – Chief Executive Officer, Sera Prognostics
- Sadie Morahan – Head of US Revenue, Withings Health Solutions
- Angela Drew, PhD – Vice President, Regulatory Strategy, Premier Research
- Dr. Stephanie Lahr – CMIO, Aqurio
- Michelle Andrews – Contributing Writer, KFF Health News
- Charlotte Williams – CEO, My Bump Hub
- Clint Dart, MS – Director, NIH Women’s Health Data Coordinating Center, Premier Research
- Cass Sanford – US Venture Advisor, FemTech Lab
- Megan Mukuria – Founder & CEO, ZanaAfrica
- Tiffany Inglis, MD, FACOG – Chief Medical Officer, Sera Prognostics
- Angelean Hendrix, PhD – Vice President, Pharmacometrics and MIDD, Premier Research
- Amanda Ducach – CEO & Co-founder, EmaEQ
“WHIS is where the women’s health industry comes together to take action,” said Poppy Howard-Wall, Event Director at WHIS.
“This latest wave of speakers reflects exactly the kind of cross-sector expertise our attendees expect – from global pharma and clinical research leadership to venture, health systems, and grassroots innovation.
“It’s this breadth that makes WHIS the room where things actually move forward.”
Bringing the Full Ecosystem Together
These additions join a growing 2026 agenda spanning four content tracks that reflect the full lifecycle of healthcare innovation, from early-stage research and development through to patient delivery, system transformation, and commercial scale.
Attendees can expect over 1,000 senior decision-makers, 120+ expert speakers, four dedicated stages, and more than 10 hours of curated 1:1 meetings.
Full speaker and agenda details are available at whisusa.com/speakers-2026.
About WHIS
The Women’s Health Innovation Summit is the only platform uniting the full women’s health ecosystem – providers, payers, employers, pharma leaders, investors, and innovators -to increase deal flow, expand reimbursement, improve access, and deliver better outcomes for women at every stage of life.
Millions of women who have missed cervical screening in England will be offered free NHS home HPV tests.
The initiative is aimed at women who are not up to date with screening, with NHS estimates suggesting as many as 4 million have fallen behind.
The home kits contain a swab for collecting a vaginal sample, which is returned to the NHS free of charge and tested in a laboratory for high-risk human papillomavirus (HPV).
If high-risk HPV is detected through a home test, patients will be asked to attend a cervical screening appointment with a clinician.
HPV is a group of viruses that can be passed on through sexual contact and cause no symptoms. About 13 high-risk types are known to cause 99.7 per cent of cervical cancers.
Starting on Tuesday, eligible women aged between 30 and 65 who have not attended screening appointments will receive invitations through the NHS app, text message, email or letter.
They will then be able to order a testing kit through the NHS app or website.
The scheme is part of the NHS’s target to eliminate cervical cancer by 2040.
Dr Sue Mann, national clinical director for women’s health at NHS England, said: “Screening saves thousands of lives each year by preventing cancers and catching them earlier, but only around two-thirds of women are attending cervical screening appointments when invited by the NHS.
“Offering millions of women an alternative test they can do from the comfort of their own homes will be a gamechanger – making it easier than ever for them to get tested for HPV.”
Women aged between 24 and 64 are invited for cervical screening every five years, or more often if HPV is detected.
NHS England figures show 68.8 per cent of eligible women are up to date with cervical screening, below the 80 per cent target.
Mann said: “There are lots of reasons that may stop women from getting their cervical screening – embarrassment, lack of time, or worries about discomfort – and these kits provide a discreet and convenient option we hope will encourage more women to take up the life-saving test.
“So, if you’re invited to take part, please order a test – it’s a simple swab you can do at home in minutes.”
Athena Lamnisos, chief executive of the Eve Appeal, welcomed the move, saying that self-testing at home would be a “step-change” for many women.
Michelle Mitchell, chief executive of Cancer Research UK, said: “Cervical screening is a powerful tool that saves lives – it can prevent cervical cancer or spot it at an earlier stage when treatment is more likely to be successful.
“While it’s best for cervical screening to be done by a nurse or doctor, there are barriers that make it challenging for some people to attend. At-home HPV self-testing kits will help more people take part in a way that works for them.”
Health secretary Yvette Cooper said the aim was to make it as easy and convenient as possible for women to keep up with their screening.
She said: “This is the future NHS we are building – there for all of us when we need it, and acting as early as possible to stop preventable deaths.”
Nearly a quarter of women often miss work because of menstrual symptoms, according to a survey examining hormonal health among women in full-time work in Ireland.
The survey looked at the impact of menstruation, fertility and motherhood, and perimenopause and menopause.
Research from The Menopause Hub found more than one in three women who had not disclosed a menstrual health issue at work said the lack of a clear workplace policy was the reason.
More than a quarter said they did not think their concerns would be taken seriously, while 22 per cent cited embarrassment and 18 per cent feared being judged.
Nearly half of respondents said better workplace support would have made them feel less stressed, while 40 per cent said it would have made them feel more valued. Some 36 per cent said they would have felt more comfortable speaking up.
Some 76 per cent of women surveyed said they experienced menstrual health issues, with 23 per cent of those often missing work because of symptoms.
Nearly half of respondents, 49 per cent, said they felt uncomfortable talking about menstruation at work.
One respondent said: “As a woman, we try to get through the day, sometimes in pain that can’t be seen. We feel emotionally and physically drained.”
The research also found that 62 per cent of those who experienced baby loss reported a moderate or significant impact on work attendance.
More than half of respondents who experienced depression during pregnancy also reported a moderate or significant impact on attendance.
Some 63 per cent of mothers said it was “difficult” to return to work after pregnancy, while nearly half said their maternity pay arrangement had negatively affected their financial wellbeing.
One respondent said: “I almost walked away. The only reason I stayed was because I had to provide for my family.”
The survey also found that nearly half of respondents said menopause had some impact on their attendance, while more than six in 10 reported an impact on their work performance.
Some 44 per cent of women said they were “uncomfortable” discussing perimenopause and menopause at work.
One person said they were “already terrified of losing my job at my age:
“I need to just struggle through this without support or acknowledgement. That’s basically workplace discrimination.”
The Menopause Hub chief executive Loretta Dignam said women’s hormonal health has been treated as a “private or personal issue” for too long, “when the reality is that it has a very real impact on women’s working lives”.
“The fundamental point is that women are not ‘mini men.’
“Our biology is different, and workplaces that were largely designed around a male model of health and working life need to evolve to recognise that.
“What is striking is how many women continue to show up, perform, push through and progress at work while managing significant physical and emotional symptoms, often without the policies, understanding or practical support they need,” Dignam said.
She added that because expectations are changing, Gen Z and Gen Alpha employees will be “far less willing than previous generations to accept workplaces that ignore their health and wellbeing”.
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