Ovarian Cancer and High Body‐Mass Index: A Global Burden of Disease Database Study From 1990 to 2021

BACKGROUND: Excess adiposity has been recognized as a significant modifiable risk factor for ovarian cancer (OC), but the epidemiology of OC attributable to high BMI remain largely unknown. METHODS: Utilizing comprehensive data from the Global Burden of Disease 2021 study, this investigation quantifies the epidemiological impact of elevated body mass index (BMI) on OC. RESULTS: Our study demonstrated a striking 17,344 mortality cases attributable to BMI in 2021, with a 153.2% increase compared to 1990. The age-standardized mortality rate (ASMR) and disability-adjusted life years (DALYs) rate associated with excessive BMI rose from 0.18 per 100,000 (95% UI: -0.04-0.33) and 4.57 per 100,000 (95% UI: 0.94-8.6) in 1990 to 0.2 per 100,000 (95% UI: 0.05-0.36) and 5.46 per 100,000 (95% UI: 1.3-9.62) in 2021, respectively, with DALYs showing a 152.6% increase during this period. Notably, geriatric populations and low-income nations exhibited disproportionately elevated mortality and DALY counts in 2021. The Bayesian age-period-cohort (BAPC) predictive modeling framework was used to quantify the average yearly rate of the obesity-related OC and demonstrated a continued rise in both incidence and mortality rates over the next 25-year period. CONCLUSION: These findings highlight metabolic dysfunction as a critical public health challenge in OC pathogenesis, emphasizing the urgent need to address modifiable metabolic determinants and associated conditions.