Talcum Powder's Causal Link To Cancer Studied in 2008 Scholarly Article

A study published in the 2008 International Journal of Cancer found inconclusive links between talcum powder and the inflammation that some have believed causes the ovarian cancer that has been connected to the regular use of the powder.

Monday, November 2, 2015 - A study looking to the connection between talcum powder and ovarian cancer was published in a 2008 issue of the medical journal International Journal of Cancer. The study looked at more than 3,000 women to attempt to determine if any merit was attached to the numerous studies and stories claiming that talcum powder products could be linked to ovarian cancer. There are currently hundreds of lawsuits around the country claiming that talcum powder products produced by Johnson & Johnson have been linked to an increased risk in contracting ovarian cancer for women.

The talcum research study, conducted by the Australian ovarian Cancer Study Group, was first made available online in August of 2007 by the international Journal of Cancer. The research looked into more than 1,500 women with epithelial ovarian cancer and over 1,500 used as controls. It was discovered that although it was not determined for sure whether talcum powder contributes to the development of ovarian cancer, the cause of how this connection may occur was redefined.

A lot of the talcum powder research that had taken place prior to the study posited that ovarian inflammation caused by talc could be the catalyst for the development of cancerous tumors in women who claimed to have contracted ovarian cancer from talcum powder. The study however rejects this explanation, claiming that the data produced by the research conducted found that the talc found in products such as those produced by Johnson & Johnson do not cause an inflammatory response in a woman's reproductive system. With this finding, the study claimed that talc's inflammatory effects on the uterus did not play any role in the possible development of ovarian cancer as a result of regular talcum powder use.

This study is one of dozens that have been conducted since a British study in 1971 first made the connection between the possibility of regular talcum use being linked to an increased risk in ovarian cancer. Some of these studies have researched how talcum may physically lead to cancer such as this one, while others look at larger data pools to try to find patterns that would suggest that the physical relationship exists. Some researchers have discovered that regular genital talcum powder use by women could lead to a 30 percent increase in the risk of contracting ovarian cancer. Others have found little or no links at all, and the IARC neither classifies talc as a carcinogen or completely free of risk.

There is enough evidence of a link however for hundreds of plaintiffs around the country to have filed lawsuits against Johnson & Johnson concerning the possible link between talcum powder and ovarian cancer. Attorneys representing the plaintiffs claim that Johnson & Johnson should have applied a warning label detailing the possible risks of talcum powder in relation to ovarian cancer given the information that was available. There are numerous research studies claiming a link between the two, and plaintiffs claim that it is possible that Johnson & Johnson knew of the link and elected to hide that information from consumers in the interest of profit.

Information provided by TalcumPowderCancerLawsuit.com, a website devoted to providing news about talcum powder ovarian cancer lawsuits, as well as medical research and findings.