Obese women have an 80 percent greater chance of getting ovarian cancer than women of normal weight, according to a new study.

Ovarian cancer is considered one of the deadliest cancers of women's reproductive organs, with a five-year survival rate of 37 percent, according to a news release on the work.

The study was based on tracking of more than 94,000 women ages 50 to 71 for seven years. The higher rate of cancer was seen in women who had not taken hormone replacement therapy after menopause, but was not seen in those who did take hormones.

There were 303 cases of ovarian cancer in the group that was studied, which is a rate of .3 of a percent.

Dr. Michael F. Leitzmann, the author of the study, said that could indicate that obesity changes hormones, which changes a woman's cancer risk.

The report was published in the Feb. 15 issue of the journal CANCER.