Grant: Team Grant: Bringing Biology to Cancer Prevention - Cancer in Women

High-grade serous cancer (HGSC) is the most common and deadliest form of ovarian cancer. As there is no effective way to screen for it, finding ways to prevent it is especially important. Birth control pills (combined oral contraceptives or COCs) cut the risk of HGSC in half when used for five or more years. This protective effect has been known for decades, but we still do not fully understand why it happens. At the same time, contraceptive use is rapidly shifting: fewer people are using COCs, and more are choosing hormonal intra-uterine devices (IUDs). Early research suggests that hormonal IUDs may not provide the same protection against this type of ovarian cancer, raising real concerns about a possible rise in cases of a cancer that is often deadly and hard to treat. This makes it especially important for individuals to have clear, evidence-based information when making decisions about birth control. The BEACON program (Biologic basis of contracEptive choice Associated ovarian Cancer risk: from populations through cells to actiON) brings together leading Canadian scientists from across disciplines to tackle this urgent issue. Working closely with healthcare providers, policymakers, and people with lived experience, we aim to understand how different hormonal contraceptives affect the fallopian tubes, where this cancer starts. We will study how COCs, IUDs, and newer estrogen-free pills (like drospirenone) influence cell growth, DNA damage, and inflammation. At the same time, we will use large-scale population data to model how changing contraceptive trends may affect ovarian cancer rates in the future. By uncovering how certain contraceptives may help prevent ovarian cancer, and working with end knowledge users and national partners like the Society of Obstetricians and Gynecologists of Canada and Action Canada, BEACON aims to support the development of tools and information that can shape future contraception options that also reduce cancer risk.