Injury guide
Updated Oct 6, 202632 sources
Ovarian cancer starts in the ovaries or nearby tissue. Here is how it is found, which records show it, and what the talc and hair relaxer lawsuits claim.
These are cited sources. Their inclusion does not imply that they endorse People’s Justice or reviewed this page.
U.S. Food and Drug Administration · U.S. Department of Health and Human Services · Publisher of FDA’s talc safety page
Finding: Studies since the 1960s have suggested a possible link between genital talc use and ovarian cancer, but they have not conclusively shown such a link; more research is needed.
FDA: Talc (opens in a new tab) · Jan 16, 2026 · Checked Oct 5, 2026
Hon. Freda L. Wolfson (ret.), Special Master · U.S. District Court for the District of New Jersey · Court-appointed special master for expert-evidence motions in MDL No. 2738
“I recommend that the Court find, by a preponderance of the evidence, that Plaintiffs’ experts have reliably applied the Bradford Hill framework in assessing general causation.”
D.N.J.: Special Master report and recommendation on expert testimony, MDL No. 2738 (Jan. 20, 2026) (opens in a new tab) · Jan 20, 2026 · Checked Oct 5, 2026
U.S. Food and Drug Administration · 2026
Read the source: FDA summary of research on genital talc use and ovarian cancer (opens in a new tab) · Checked Oct 5, 2026
Not covered by this case
Ovarian cancer is a group of cancers that start in the ovaries, the tubes next to them, or the lining of the belly. The ovaries make eggs and female hormones. Treatment works best when the cancer is found early.
The most common type is called adenocarcinoma. The fallopian tubes carry eggs from the ovaries to the uterus, and cancer sometimes starts at their ends and spreads to an ovary.
Family history and inherited changes in the BRCA1 or BRCA2 genes raise the risk. The National Cancer Institute also lists endometriosis, hormone therapy after menopause, obesity and older age.
Signs can include bloating, pain or pressure in the belly or pelvis, and feeling full too fast. Some women need to pee more often or have bleeding that is not normal for them. Know what is normal for your body.
CDC says ovarian cancer often causes signs, so pay attention to your body. The National Cancer Institute notes that it may not cause signs early on.
CDC says to see a doctor right away about bleeding from the vagina that is not normal for you. If other signs last two weeks or longer and are not normal for you, see a doctor too.
If you have used talc powder or hair relaxers and worry about your health, write down your questions and take them to your doctor. Keep asking until the answers make sense to you.
Doctors start with a pelvic exam and scans, such as an ultrasound or CT scan. A blood test called CA-125 may also be done. Often the only way to be sure is a biopsy, which is usually done during surgery.
A pathologist looks at the tissue under a microscope to check for cancer. A high CA-125 level does not prove cancer, because other conditions, such as endometriosis, can raise it.
Other scans, such as MRI, PET and chest x-rays, can help show whether the cancer has spread.
The pathology report on tissue taken in surgery gives the final diagnosis. Ask for it, along with your scan reports and CA-125 test results. You have a right to copies of these records.
A pathologist is a doctor trained to find disease in tissue. The National Cancer Institute says the pathology report gives the definitive cancer diagnosis.
Under federal privacy law, you can ask each hospital and doctor for copies, including lab results and images. They normally have up to 30 days to respond.
FDA says some studies point to a possible link between talc powder used in the genital area and ovarian cancer. But FDA says the studies have not proved it. The National Cancer Institute says there is no clear evidence of a higher risk.
Many talc lawsuits claim the powder held traces of asbestos. The National Cancer Institute reports that a world cancer agency found enough evidence that asbestos causes ovarian cancer. That finding is about asbestos, not about talc itself.
In 2020, the judge in the federal talc cases let the women’s experts testify that genital talc use may cause ovarian cancer. Letting experts testify is not a finding that talc causes cancer. In January 2026, the same judge, now retired and chosen by the court to review the experts under newer rules, again advised letting much of that testimony in, while leaving out some theories.
In June 2026, the women in the first test cases withdrew their experts on what caused their own cancers. In July, a judge granted the company’s request to make the women in the federal cases show why their cases should not be dismissed. The judge said this would show which claims have merit. On July 29, 2026, the judge put the case deadlines on hold while the parties report on talks to resolve the cases. As of October 6, 2026, the deadlines were still on hold. In the court records we read, we found no ruling on the January advice.
Juries in some talc trials have ruled against the company, and many of those verdicts were later reversed on appeal. We found no federal court ruling that talc causes ovarian cancer.
An NIH news release says its research team earlier found that hair straighteners may raise the risk of ovarian cancer. A study like that shows a link, not proof of cause. We found no federal court ruling that hair relaxers cause ovarian cancer.
Women in the talc cases say that talc powder used in the genital area caused their ovarian cancer. Many also say the talc held traces of asbestos. We cannot tell you if you have a claim.
Johnson & Johnson says it is confident that its talc products are safe.
Women in the hair relaxer cases say the products caused cancer of the ovary, uterus or breast.
Each case page below gives the latest court news for that case.
Some federal benefit programs list ovarian cancer. They include the World Trade Center Health Program and two programs for people exposed to radiation. VA’s PACT Act list for some veterans names a wider group, reproductive cancer of any type.
Each program has its own rules and is separate from any lawsuit. Being named on a list does not by itself mean a person qualifies. The WTC Health Program lists cancer of the ovary, but it must first decide that a member’s cancer is tied to 9/11 exposure.
The Radiation Exposure Compensation Act lists cancer of the ovary for some people exposed to radiation from the U.S. nuclear weapons program. Congress renewed it on July 4, 2025, and the Justice Department says all claims must be filed by December 31, 2027.
A Labor Department program for some nuclear weapons workers also lists cancer of the ovary among the cancers it covers.
VA’s PACT Act list includes “reproductive cancer of any type” for veterans who served in certain places on or after August 2, 1990, or September 11, 2001. That is a category, not a list of named cancers.
Attorneys and claims agents who help with a VA claim must be accredited by VA. Help from an accredited veterans service organization representative is always free. Accredited attorneys and claims agents generally may charge only for work after VA’s first decision on the claim. VA has a search tool for accredited representatives.
A relative can get records when the law gives them that power. A woman can choose someone in a health care power of attorney to act for her. For a minor child, a parent usually has this power, with some exceptions.
When a person has died, the executor or administrator of her estate can get the records the estate needs. A hospital may also share limited facts with a relative who was involved in her care or in paying for it. Each state’s law sets who has this power.
The wrongful death case page gives general facts about claims after a death.
Checked against 32 primary sources by People's Justice editors · Updated
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