Hairdressers, beauticians and accountants could be at a higher risk of developing ovarian cancer, a new study suggests. Those working in sales, retail, clothing and construction industries could also carry a higher risk according to a new study published in the journal Occupational and Environmental Medicine.
But the authors of the study stressed that “inferences from the results are limited” as they called for more work to examine the links between ovarian cancer risk and different occupations. The team, led by academics at the University of Montreal in Canada, examined data on 491 Canadian women with ovarian cancer and compared it with 897 women without disease.
The researchers linked occupations to ovarian cancer risk. They also compared this data to the Canadian job-exposure matrix to examine any potential workplace exposures – for example, if they are more likely to come in contact with a certain chemical while at work.