Height, Age at Menarche, and Risk of Epithelial Ovarian Cancer

Abstract

Objective: We hypothesized that the hormonal changes of adolescence influence ovarian cancer risk particularly in younger women. We investigated this possibility by examining the relationship between ovarian cancer and adult height and age at menarche as both factors reflect pubertal hormonal levels. Methods: Participants were a population-based sample of women with incident ovarian cancer (n = 794) and control women randomly selected from the Australian Electoral Roll (n = 855). The women provided comprehensive reproductive and lifestyle data during a standard interview. Results: Although neither height nor age at menarche was significantly related to the risk of ovarian cancer overall, increasing height was associated with increasing risk of the subgroup of mucinous borderline ovarian cancer (odds ratio, 5.3; 95% confidence interval, 1.5-19.1 for women z175 cm compared with women <160 cm, P trend = 0.02). Similarly, later age at menarche was associated with increasing risk of mucinous borderline cancers (odds ratio, 3.8; 95% confidence interval, 1.3-11.4 for those with age at menarche z14 years compared with those <12 years, P trend = 0.003). Women with mucinous borderline cancers were significantly younger than the women diagnosed with invasive cancers (mean 44 versus 57 years; P < 0.0001). Conclusions: Development of mucinous borderline ovarian cancers, predominantly diagnosed in women ages under 50 years, seems to be associated with age at menarche and attained adult height. These results are consistent with our original hypothesis that pubertal levels of reproductive hormones and insulin-like growth factor-I influence ovarian cancer risk in younger women. (Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev 2005;14(8):2045 -8)

Height, Body Mass Index, and Ovarian Cancer: A Pooled Analysis of 12 Cohort Studies

“…Odds ratios in the other five studies were all above unity, between 1.08 and 1.26 (10,12,(15)(16)(17). For the few studies that have investigated whether the association between height and ovarian cancer risk is modified by menopausal status, the association was stronger in or restricted to premenopausal women (21,56), which is in agreement with our analysis.…”

“…Most case-control studies have reported no statistically significant associations between height and risk (9)(10)(11)(12)(14)(15)(16)(17)(18). Only one case-control study (22) observed a statistically significant elevated risk.…”

“…In the Norwegian cohort study (21), height was positively associated with endometrioid ovarian cancer risk, which is in accordance with our findings: the association with other histologic subtypes was not reported. In an Australian case-control study, height was associated with risk of mucinous borderline invasive ovarian cancer, but the 95% CIs were wide because of small numbers (12); no associations were observed with invasive serous, mucinous, or endometrioid cancers (12). In our pooled analysis, only invasive ovarian cancers were included, so we were not able to evaluate borderline invasive ovarian cancers.…”

“…Several studies have investigated the association with ovarian cancer risk (9)(10)(11)(12)(13)(14)(15)(16)(17)(18)(19)(20)(21)(22), but results are inconsistent.…”

The causes, diagnosis, and treatment of recurrent ovarian cancer. A literature review and analysis of the authors’ data

“…Таким образом, ле-карственный патоморфоз является одним из предиктор-ных факторов развития рецидива. Чем выше градация изменений в опухоли после проведенного лечения, тем более длительным предполагается безрецидивный про-межуток [10].…”