Polycystic ovary syndrome and cancer

The polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is the most common endocrine disturban ce affecting women, but disagreements in diagnostic criteria make it diffic ult to compare epidemiological studies on long-term health risks such as ca ncer. The association between PCOS and endometrial adenocarcinoma has been reported for many years. Although the degree of risk has not been clearly d efined, it is generally accepted that for women with PCOS who experience sy mptoms of amenorrhoea or oligomenorrhoea, the induction of artificial withd rawal bleeds to prevent endometrial hyperplasia is prudent management. Stud ies examining the relationship between PCOS and breast carcinoma have not a lways identified a significantly increased risk, although one recent study examined the standardized mortality rate (SMR) calculated for patients with PCOS compared with the normal population and found that the SMR for all ne oplasms was 0.91 (95% CI 0.60-1.32) and for breast cancer 1.48 (95% CI 0.79 -2.54). Few studies have addressed the possibility of an association betwee n polycystic ovaries and ovarian cancer, and the results are conflicting an d generally reassuring.