RESUMO
Ovarian cancer is still the leading cause of mortality among genital cancers. Despite advances in the treatment of this malignancy, it remains the fourth cause of death in women. Thus, the diagnosis of its related risk factors and prognostic factors can be very useful. Our aim in this study was to evaluate the risk and prognostic factors of ovarian cancer. A descriptive analytic study was performed in the oncology departments of Ghaem and Omid Hospitals, Mashhad University, over seven years [1998-2005]. Randomized sampling was applied, and all patients admitted and diagnosed of ovarian cancer were enrolled in the study. Our tool was a questionnaire which included information regarding age of menarche, age of menopause, gravity, oral contraceptive usage, histological diagnosis and grading of tumor, type of surgery and postoperative treatments, and the level of serum tumor marker CA-125. Data was analyzed through SPSS statistical program and results were reported using t-test and Pearson correlation coefficient. The confidence interval was set at 95% and P<0.05 was considered significant. 188 patients with ovarian cancer were studied. Mean age of subjects was 43.196 +/- 17.88 years and their average weight 55.03 +/- 15.529 kg. The most relevant risk factors of this cancer among our patients were the history of infertility and a family history of ovarian, breast or endometrial cancers. The most significant prognostic factors of ovarian cancer were the histological characteristics of tumor, age of patient, and CA-125 level. The history of infertility is one of the most prominent risk factors and CA-125 level is among the most decisive prognostic factors for ovarian cancer