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, Xinxua reported.

The preliminary findings, published on Tuesday in the journal Frontiers in Public Health, contribute to a growing body of research on the health effects of temperature and climate change, reported The Washington Post.

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.

Ozone depletion can mean more exposure to UV radiation, researchers said. Higher temperatures can also lead to drought and wildfires, which can cause pollution.

"This can increase exposures to a broad range of agents associated with cancer risk," Irina Stepanov, a public health professor and member of the University of Minnesota's Masonic Cancer Center, was quoted as saying.