Ovarian Cancer Incidence, Mortality Elevated in High Radon Zone

THURSDAY, April 16, 2026 (HealthDay News) -- Postmenopausal women living in a high radon zone have significantly higher risks for ovarian cancer incidence and mortality, according to a study published online April 10 in JAMA Network Open.Mark R. Williamson, Ph.D., from the University of North Dakota in Grand Forks, and colleagues conducted a prospective cohort study to examine whether higher home radon levels are associated with an increased risk for ovarian cancer. Postmenopausal women aged 50 to 79 years were enrolled, and outcomes were followed for 31 years.The researchers observed 1,645 incident ovarian cancers and 1,048 ovarian cancer deaths during a mean follow-up of 17.7 years among the 127,547 women with available radon zone values. The hazard ratio (HR) for all ovarian cancers was not significantly higher for women living in the medium radon zone versus the low radon zone (1.13; 95 percent confidence interval [CI], 1.00 to 1.29), after adjustment for covariates. However, women living in the high radon zone versus the low radon zone had a significantly higher HR (1.31; 95 percent CI, 1.11 to 1.54). For the most common histologic type, serous ovarian cancer, similar findings were observed, with the HR significantly higher in the high zone (1.38; 95 percent CI, 1.09 to 1.74), but not in the medium zone (1.06; 95 percent CI, 0.88 to 1.27). Significantly higher ovarian cancer mortality was also seen in the high versus the low radon zone (HR, 1.31; 95 percent CI, 1.07 to 1.60). Similar results were seen in sensitivity analyses using three alternate radon measures."The biggest takeaway is that this study is really the first to report that environmental radon exposure, which is a fairly common environmental hazard, can lead to an increased risk of ovarian cancer in women," Jaqueline Moline, M.D., from Northwell Health, said in a statement.Abstract/Full Text.Sign up for our weekly HealthDay newsletter

Ovarian Cancer Incidence, Mortality Elevated in High Radon Zone

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