Endometriosis and Ovarian Cancer: From Molecular Evidences to Clinical Implications

Approximately 1.3% of women will be diagnosed with ovarian cancer at some point during their lifetime. The association between endometriosis and cancer has been described in numerous published studies. However, the lifetime risk for ovarian cancer is low in the general population and it does not change in women with endometriosis. Endometrioid and clear-cell ovarian tumors appear to be associated with pelvic endometriosis. Apparently, women with endometriosis-associated ovarian cancer differ from non-endometriosis-associated ovarian cancer patients in their clinical characteristics. This review summarizes the epidemiologic and molecular evidence and also the clinical implications of the association between endometriosis and ovarian cancer.