Cancers of the Reproductive System

Approximately every 6.4 minutes, a woman in the United States will be diagnosed with a cancer of the reproductive organs -- ovarian, uterine, cervical, vulvar, vaginal, or tubal.¹ In 2001, there were about 38,300 new cases of uterine cancer with 6,600 resulting deaths and 12,900 new cervical cancer cases resulting in 4,400 deaths.² Ovarian cancer is the most feared of gynecological cancers afflicting women in the United States due to its high mortality rate, and the American Cancer Society predicts that this year over 23,000 women will be diagnosed with ovarian cancer and nearly 14,000 will lose their lives to it.³ Yet, for the year 2001, out of the $256 million congressional medical research & development funds distributed amongst several cancer-specific funds, only $12 million was dedicated to ovarian cancer research.⁴ Some cancers are inherited, but toxins in the environment, medications and poisons can also cause cancer, one example being the 1970s tragedy involving the use of diethylstilbestrol (DES).⁵ Some good news: since 1940, the incidence of cervical cancer in the United States has decreased by over 70%.⁶ However, those numbers could shrink even further, if second-hand smoke could be eliminated, as there is a strong link between tobacco smoke in the environment (ETS) and cervical cancer.⁷ As serious as the statistics in the U.S. are, women in developing countries face even greater challenges. As the Reproductive Health Outlook (RHO) has pointed out, "Cervical cancer is an important women's health problem in developing countries, killing some 200,000 women each year. It is the third most common cancer overall and the leading cause of death from cancer among women in developing countries. At least 370,000 new cases are identified each year; 80 percent are in developing countries."⁸

So, don't wait for September (Ovarian Cancer Awareness Month) to educate yourself and your loved ones!⁹ Early detection can help a woman take action towards future prevention and cure.¹⁰

Actions, Information & Opportunities to Help
Many sites, both comprehensive and single-issue, dedicated to informing, organizing and analyzing. Some interesting theoretical sociological pieces, and cultural studies, lots of published news articles and campaign info.

• American Cancer Society
• The American College of Obstetrics and Gynecology (ACOG)
• Congressionally Directed Research Funding
• Reproductive Cancer Links
• National Cancer Institute's Q&A page about DES (Diethylstilbestrol/synthetic estrogen)
• Environmental Tobacco Smoke and Cancer
• Oral Contraceptives and Cancer Risk
• Environmental Toxins and Reproductive Health
• National Breast and Cervical Cancer Early Detection Program
• Health Effects of Exposure to Environmental Tobacco Smoke (download monograph)
• What You Can Do About Second-Hand Smoke
• The Gilda Radner Familial Ovarian Cancer Registry
• Society of Gynecologic Oncologists
• National Cervical Cancer Coalition
• Reproductive Health Outlook
• Ovarian Cancer National Alliance
• Ovarian Cancer Research Fund
• Ovarian Cancer Q&A
• Women's Cancer Network
• "Stars strive to demystify women's cancers" - celebrities at the Courage Awards
• Scientific and Medical Research on Women's Health from Macrobiotic Online

¹Women's Cancer Network (WCN), 2002. http://www.wcn.org/
²American Cancer Society, verified by telephone, October 4, 2001.
³Ibid.
⁴American Association for the Advancement of Science, Funding Update, appropriations for FY 2001.
⁵National Cancer Institute, June 27, 2000.
⁶American Cancer Society, 1993.
⁷Environmental Tobacco Smoke: Measuring Exposures and Assessing Health Effects. The National Academy Press, National Research Council Board on Environmental Studies and Toxicology: 1986.
^{8Pisani, P. et al. "Estimates of the worldwide mortality from 25 cancers in 1990." International Journal of Cancer 83:18-29 (1999).
9}The Ovarian Cancer Research Fund, Inc. http://www.ocrf.org/awareness.htm
¹⁰WCN (as cited above)

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