The New York Times (7/25, Rabin) reported, "Women who undergo hysterectomies often have both ovaries removed along with the uterus in order to prevent ovarian cancer." Now, researchers at the University of Montreal are suggesting that "ovary removal may increase the risk of another seemingly unrelated ailment, lung cancer." The team made the surprise finding while "investigating the relationship between lung cancer and hormones in women." Although they "found no relationship between hormonal factors like menstruation patterns, child-bearing or breastfeeding histories, and the risk of lung cancer," the group did "discover that women whose menopause had been induced medically were at 1.92 times greater risk of developing lung cancer than women who had experienced natural menopause."

        HealthDay (7/24, McKeever) quoted study author Jack Siemiatycki as saying, "It's possible that vulnerability to lung cancer is caused by early and sudden decrease in estrogen levels or potentially long-term use of hormone replacement therapy." The findings were culled from a "study of 999 patients from hospitals across Montreal, including 422 women with lung cancer." The paper appears online in the International Journal of Cancer.