Case-control study of oestrogen replacement therapy and risk of cervical cancer

Abstract

Objective: To examine any possible links between exposure to DDE (1,1-dichloro-2,2-bis (p-chlorophenyl)ethylene), the persistent metabolite of the pesticide dicophane (DDT), and breast cancer. Design: Multicentre study of exposure to DDE by measurement of adipose tissue aspirated from the buttocks. Laboratory measurements were conducted in a single laboratory. Additional data on risk factors for breast cancer were obtained by standard questionnaires. Setting: Centres in Germany, the Netherlands, Northern Ireland, Switzerland, and Spain. Subjects: 265 postmenopausal women with breast cancer and 341 controls matched for age and centre. Main outcome measure: Adipose DDE concentrations. Results: Women with breast cancer had adipose DDE concentrations 9.2% lower than control women. No increased risk of breast cancer was found at higher concentrations. The odds ratio of breast cancer, adjusted for age and centre, for the highest versus the lowest fourth of DDE distribution was 0.73 (95% confidence interval 0.44 to 1.21) and decreased to 0.48 (0.25 to 0.95; P for trend = 0.02) after adjustment for body mass index, age at first birth, and current alcohol drinking. Adjustment for other risk factors did not materially affect these estimates. Conclusions: The lower DDE concentrations observed among the women with breast cancer may be secondary to disease inception. This study does not support the hypothesis that DDE increases risk of breast cancer in postmenopausal women in Europe.

Human papillomavirus infection of the cervix uteri in women attending a Health Examination Center of the French social security

“…In postmenopausal women, on hormone replacement therapy for menopausal symptoms, irregular periods, or disease prevention, we did not find a significant association. Some authors found that short-term use of hormone replacement therapy suggested an increased risk of HPV detection [Smith et al, 1997] but estrogen replacement therapy did not seem to increase the risk of cervical cancer [Parazzini et al, 1997].…”

Meta‐analysis of social inequality and the risk of cervical cancer

“…A published study was included in this analysis if (i) it contained information on both cases and controls, (ii) there was no matching by a measure of education or income and (iii) the odds ratio (OR) for some indicator of social class was presented or could be derived. All these studies were reviewed and 76 case‐control studies were identified, which presented some information on socio‐demographic characteristics 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39, 40, 41, 42, 43, 44, 45, 46, 47, 48, 49, 50, 51, 52, 53, 54, 55, 56, 57, 58, 59, 60, 61, 62, 63, 64, 65, 66, 67, 68, 69, 70, 71, 72, 73, 74, 75, 76, 77, 78. Of these, 57 studies included information on level of education, 26 included information on income status, 20 utilised a combined social class indicator using several variables ( e.g ., education and income), 5 gave information on husband's level of education, 3 provided information on the number of household commodities ( e.g ., T.V., fridge) and 2 provided information on pay status for healthcare.…”

Common soil of smoking-associated and hormone-related cancers: estrogen deficiency

“…HRT has also anticancer capacities at other tumor sites out of the upper aerodigestive tract, such as in stomach, colon, liver, and cervix [71,76,86], which can hardly be explained by a local defense mechanism against tobacco products and exogenous carcinogenic agents. HRT probably exerts this advantageous effect by means of its systemic metabolic and hormonal pathways.…”

“…Unexplained, beneficial anticancer effects of HRT use were reported against oral, esophageal, gastric, colorectal, cervical, liver, and lung cancers [12,71,[74][75][76][77] and there are also contradictory results concerning the associations of HRT and highly hormone-dependent cancers [22,78,79].…”