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Published in: Cancer Causes & Control 12/2010

01-12-2010 | Original paper

Body size and the risk of ovarian cancer by hormone therapy use in the California Teachers Study cohort

Authors: Alison J. Canchola, Ellen T. Chang, Leslie Bernstein, Joan A. Largent, Peggy Reynolds, Dennis Deapen, Katherine D. Henderson, Giske Ursin, Pamela L. Horn-Ross

Published in: Cancer Causes & Control | Issue 12/2010

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Abstract

Objective

To investigate whether obesity and hormone therapy (HT) are associated with ovarian cancer risk among women in the California Teachers Study cohort.

Methods

Of 56,091 women age ≥45 years, 277 developed epithelial ovarian cancer between 1995 and 2007. Multivariate Cox regression was performed.

Results

Among women who never used HT, greater adult weight gain, waist circumference and waist-to-height ratio, but not adult BMI, increased risk of ovarian cancer. Compared to women who never used HT and had a stable adult weight, risk of ovarian cancer was increased in women who gained ≥40 lb (relative risk (RR) 1.8, 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.0–3.0) or used HT for >5 years (RR 2.3 95% CI: 1.3–4.1). Having both exposures (RR 1.9, 95% CI: 0.99–3.5), however, did not increase risk more than having either alone. Results were similar for waist circumference and weight-to-height ratio; however, differences across HT groups were not statistically significant.

Conclusions

This study suggests that abdominal adiposity and weight gain, but not overall obesity, increase ovarian cancer risk and that there may be a threshold level beyond which additional hormones, whether exogenous or endogenous, do not result in additional elevation in risk. However, large pooled analyses are needed to confirm these findings.
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Metadata
Title
Body size and the risk of ovarian cancer by hormone therapy use in the California Teachers Study cohort
Authors
Alison J. Canchola
Ellen T. Chang
Leslie Bernstein
Joan A. Largent
Peggy Reynolds
Dennis Deapen
Katherine D. Henderson
Giske Ursin
Pamela L. Horn-Ross
Publication date
01-12-2010
Publisher
Springer Netherlands
Published in
Cancer Causes & Control / Issue 12/2010
Print ISSN: 0957-5243
Electronic ISSN: 1573-7225
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1007/s10552-010-9647-x

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