Cancer rates rose for women in some countries where extreme heat is rising, study says

As temperatures rose in Middle Eastern and North African countries over the last two decades, cancer mortality among women did too, according to a new study of a region that is particularly vulnerable to extreme heat.

The preliminary findings, published Tuesday in the journal Frontiers in Public Health, contribute to a growing body of research on the health effects of temperature and climate change. The scientists looked at breast, ovarian, uterine and cervical cancers among women in 17 countries and discovered what they called a small but significant increase in cases and deaths. The correlation, the authors wrote, comes as climate change increases exposure to cancer risk through heightened ultraviolet radiation and air pollutants.