A new study suggests women can improve their chances of surviving ovarian cancer by eating a diet high in vegetables. If confirmed by further research, the finding could give women a concrete way to improve the outcome of this sometimes fatal cancer.

Ovarian cancer rates in the United States have been declining over the past decade. Still, the American Cancer Society estimates that this disease will strike more than 25,000 US women in 2003, and kill more than 14,000.

Women whose ovarian cancer is caught at an early stage have a very high survival rate. Unfortunately, the disease is very difficult to detect, and only a quarter of cases are found early. More often, ovarian cancer is detected after it has already spread beyond the ovaries and is more difficult to treat.

Because ovarian cancer is so difficult to catch at its most curable stage, researchers are looking for ways to improve outcomes for women who get this disease. Scientists from the University of Queensland Medical School in Australia decided to examine the influence of diet, because it is something a woman can easily control.

"Many women may be willing to adopt a diet that could be shown to improve their chance of a more favorable outcome," said lead author Christina Nagle, a lecturer in epidemiology at the university.

Her findings were published in the International Journal of Cancer (Vol. 106, No. 2: 264-269).

Nagle and her colleagues studied 609 women with invasive epithelial ovarian cancer, the most common type of ovarian cancer. They asked the women about their intake of 119 foods during the year prior to their cancer diagnosis.

About 45% of the women in the study lived longer than five years. And the women who survived the longest were the ones who ate the most vegetables (excluding potatoes). Women who ate plenty of cruciferous vegetables like broccoli, cabbage and cauliflower also survived longer, as did women who got high levels of vitamin E from foods (vitamin supplements did not appear to have an effect). A very small benefit was seen among women who ate the greatest amounts of meat (although this may have been due to chance).

Eating dairy products, however, seemed to have a negative effect on survival. Women who consumed the most lactose, calcium, and dairy products had about a 30% greater risk of dying early than women who ate the smallest amounts.

Although the researchers looked at what women ate before their diagnosis, they say there is evidence to suggest eating well after diagnosis may improve survival. Many studies of breast cancer patients, for instance, have found that high consumption of fruits and vegetables was associated with better outcomes. And studies are currently underway to examine whether changing the diet can influence breast cancer survival and the risk of recurrence.

Still, it is too soon to recommend specific dietary changes to women with ovarian cancer.

"It really is very important that others test these findings before making any strong recommendations about dietary change for better survival," Nagle said. "It will be especially important to measure the effects on survival of dietary change after diagnosis."

Until definitive answers come in, eating plenty of vegetables could be a smart move. Five or more servings of vegetables and fruit each day have been shown to lower the risk of several types of cancer. Scientists are actively studying how plant foods protect against cancer.