Chemical Hair Straightening Products Long-Term Use Linked to Uterine Cancer

Hair Straightening Products linked to Uterine Cancer | What happened?

“Several women diagnosed with uterine cancer are now suing L’Oreal and other cosmetic companies after a recent study tied the illness to chemical hair straightening products.” (PBS)

In October 2022, the Journal of the National Cancer Institute published the study “Use of Straighteners and Other Hair Products and Incident Uterine Cancer.” According to the authors, “Hair products may contain hazardous chemicals with endocrine-disrupting and carcinogenic properties. […] no previous study has investigated [their] relationship with uterine cancer.”

The study, conducted with the participation of 33 947 women, found that “Over an average of 10.9 years of follow-up, 378 uterine cancer cases were identified.”

As reported by the National Institutes of Health, which led the study through the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, “Women who used chemical hair straightening products were at higher risk for uterine cancer compared to women who did not report using these products, according to a new study from the National Institutes of Health. The researchers found no associations with uterine cancer for other hair products that the women reported using, including hair dyes, bleach, highlights, or perms.”

Alexandra White, the lead author of the study, told the American Cancer Society that 4.05% of women who frequently use hair straighteners would develop uterine cancer. For women who have never used hair straighteners, the number is 1.64%. According to the American Cancer Society, the study also highlights how the risks are more significant for Black women: “While the study didn’t find that the link between straightener use and uterine cancer risk was different by race, the effects may be greater for Black women because they’re more likely to use these products.”

Hair Straightening Linked to Uterine Cancer | Do I have a case?

Hair Straightening Linked to Uterine Cancer and other health issues

Uterine Cancer

“Uterine cancers can be of two types: endometrial cancer (common) and uterine sarcoma (rare). Endometrial cancer can often be cured. Uterine sarcoma is often more aggressive and harder to treat.” (National Cancer Institute)

According to the CDC, “When cancer starts in the uterus, it is called uterine cancer. […] The most common type of uterine cancer is also called endometrial cancer because it forms in the lining of your uterus, called the endometrium.” Among the symptoms are “vaginal discharge or bleeding that is not normal for [the person]” and “pain or pressure in [the person’s] pelvis.”

Endometriosis

The World Health Organization describes endometriosis as “a disease characterized by the presence of tissue resembling endometrium (the lining of the uterus) outside the uterus. It causes a chronic inflammatory reaction that may result in the formation of scar tissue (adhesions, fibrosis) within the pelvis and other parts of the body. Several lesion types have been described:

• superficial endometriosis found mainly on the pelvic peritoneum
• cystic ovarian endometriosis (endometrioma) found in the ovaries
• deep endometriosis found in the recto-vaginal septum, bladder, and bowel
• in rare cases, endometriosis has also been found outside the pelvis.”

Among the symptoms, “painful periods, chronic pelvic pain, pain during and/or after sexual intercourse, painful bowel movements, painful urination, fatigue, depression or anxiety, and abdominal bloating and nausea.”

Ovarian Cancer

“Ovarian cancer is a growth of cells that forms in the ovaries. The cells multiply quickly and can invade and destroy healthy body tissue.” (Mayo Clinic)

Symptoms include “Abdominal bloating or swelling, quickly feeling full when eating, weight loss, discomfort in the pelvic area, fatigue, back pain, changes in bowel habits, such as constipation, a frequent need to urinate.”

Uterine Fibroids

The Office on Women’s Health defines fibroids as almost always benign “muscular tumors that grow in the wall of the uterus. […] Not all women with fibroids have symptoms. Women who do have symptoms often find fibroids hard to live with.” These symptoms include:

• “Heavy bleeding (which can be heavy enough to cause anemia) or painful periods
• Feeling of fullness in the pelvic area (lower stomach area)
• Enlargement of the lower abdomen
• Frequent urination
• Pain during sex
• Lower back pain
• Complications during pregnancy and labor, including a six-time greater risk of cesarean section
• Reproductive problems, such as infertility, which is very rare.”

Endometrial Cancer

The American Cancer Society lists different types of endometrial cancer (endometrial carcinomas), which “starts when cells in the endometrium (the inner lining of the uterus) start to grow out of control”:

• Adenocarcinoma (most endometrial cancers are a type of adenocarcinoma called endometrioid cancer);
• Uterine carcinosarcoma or CS (covered below in the grading section);
• Squamous cell carcinoma;
• Small cell carcinoma;
• Transitional carcinoma;
• Serous carcinoma.