title: Risk of ovarian cancer associated with BMI varies by menopausal status.
abstract: Obesity has been linked to increased risk of several malignancies, but the role of obesity in the etiology of ovarian cancer remains unclear. Therefore, a hospital-based case-control study was conducted to investigate the association between body size and risk of ovarian cancer. Participants included 427 women with primary, incident ovarian cancer and 854 cancer-free controls. All participants received medical services at Roswell Park Cancer Institute in Buffalo, NY between 1982 and 1998 and completed a comprehensive epidemiological questionnaire. The instrument included questions regarding height and usual wt prior to survey. Participants were classified as underweight/normal (BMI < or = 24.9 kg/m2), overweight (BMI 25.0-29.9 kg/m2), or obese (BMI > or = 30.0 kg/m2). Compared with underweight/normal participants, being overweight (adjusted odds ratio [OR] = 1.02; 95% CI 0.77-1.36) or obese (adjusted OR = 1.17; 95% CI 0.84-1.65) was not significantly associated with an elevated risk of ovarian cancer. After stratification by menopausal status, BMI showed no significant association to ovarian cancer risk among postmenopausal women (> or = 50 y old). However, among premenopausal women (<50 y old), those classified as obese had a significantly increased risk (adjusted OR = 2.19; 95% CI 1.19-4.04) compared with women classified as normal/underweight. These findings suggest a potential influence of menopausal status on the total endogenous hormonal environment, including estrogens, androgens, and insulin-like growth factors, when considering the association between body size and ovarian cancer risk. In light of the fact that obesity is a modifiable risk factor, further investigation on this topic is warranted.
authors.affiliation: Department of Epidemiology, Roswell Park Cancer Institute, Buffalo, NY 14263, USA.
authors.forename: Gregory P
authors.initials: GP
authors.lastname: Beehler
authors.forename: Manveen
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Sekhon
authors.forename: Julie A
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Baker
authors.forename: Barbara E
authors.initials: BE
authors.lastname: Teter
authors.forename: Susan E
authors.initials: SE
authors.lastname: McCann
authors.forename: Kerry J
authors.initials: KJ
authors.lastname: Rodabaugh
authors.forename: Kirsten B
authors.initials: KB
authors.lastname: Moysich
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D015992:Body Mass Index; D049628:Body Size; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008593:Menopause; D008875:Middle Aged; D010051:Ovarian Neoplasms / Q000209:etiology*; D012306:Risk