Environmental exposures and lifestyle behaviors are major, yet modifiable, drivers of cancer, accounting for nearly half of all cases globally. These factors are particularly influential in female cancers, where risks include smoking, obesity, poor diet, air pollution, and unsafe sexual practices. Protective measures such as oral contraceptives and a Mediterranean diet can lower risk in some cancers, like ovarian cancer.
Specific cancers show distinct associations: ovarian cancer is linked to obesity, high-fat diets, and pollutants; endometrial cancer to obesity, inactivity, and toxins; cervical cancer to persistent HPV infection, worsened by smoking and poor nutrition. Genetic predispositions, such as BRCA mutations, interact with these modifiable factors, with obesity amplifying risk and exercise potentially mitigating it. Polygenic Risk Scores (PRSs) now combine genetic and lifestyle data for personalized risk prediction.
Prevention and lifestyle interventions—quitting smoking, exercising, and healthy eating—can improve outcomes. Broad strategies including HPV vaccination, equitable screening, environmental policies, and personalized risk tools are critical to reducing the global burden of gynecological cancers.