Research Communication: An Observational Cohort Study on Risk of Ovarian Cancer in Women with Irritable Bowel Syndrome

We compared ovarian cancer incidence between women with and without an index irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) diagnosis using administrative claims data. Risk of ovarian cancer was higher at 3 (hazard ratio [HR] = 1.71, 95% CI: 1.08-2.70, p = 0.02) and 6 (HR = 1.43, 95% CI: 1.06-1.93, p = 0.02) months after an index IBS diagnosis, but not at time points after 8 months, in women with IBS compared to those without. Some women with symptoms of ovarian cancer may be misdiagnosed with IBS, although IBS is not causally linked to ovarian cancer. Further studies are needed to validate findings and clarify when ovarian cancer screening may be warranted.