Whether a U.S. woman is obese may likely affect her outcome if she has been diagnosed with ovarian cancer, according to a Cedars-Sinai Medical Center study.

The study, published online in the American Cancer Society’s journal Cancer, showed that obesity affected survival rates, shortened the length of time to recurrence of the disease and led to earlier death from the cancer than for women diagnosed at their ideal body weight.

“This study is the first to identify weight as an independent factor in ovarian cancer in disease progression and overall survival, suggesting that there is an element in the fat tissue itself that influences the outcome of this disease in obese women,” said study principal investigator Dr. Andrew Li.

Ovarian cancer, one of the most lethal cancers, affects almost one in 60 women. Most will be diagnosed with advanced disease, and 70 percent will die within five years.

Obesity is defined as a Body Mass Index of 30 or above.