title: Cancer risk among infertile women with androgen excess or menstrual disorders (including polycystic ovary syndrome).
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To define relationships of androgen excesses to cancer risk.
  
  
  METHODS
  Retrospective cohort study.
  
  
  METHODS
  Five large infertility practices.
  
  
  METHODS
  Among 12,193 women evaluated for infertility during 1965-1988 and traced for cancer incidence through 1999, 2,560 had androgen excess or menstrual disorders; among these, 412 met established criteria for polycystic ovary syndrome.
  
  
  METHODS
  None.
  
  
  METHODS
  Cancer incidence. Derivation of standardized incidence ratios (SIRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for cancer risk comparisons with the general population and rate ratios (RRs) for comparisons with other infertility patients.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Androgen excess/menstrual disorder patients showed significant SIRs for breast (1.31; 95% CI, 1.05-1.62) and uterine (2.02; 95% CI, 1.13-3.34) cancers and melanoma (1.96; 95% CI, 1.12-3.18). Significant associations for breast and uterine cancers were restricted to primary infertility patients (respective SIRs of 1.53 and 3.48). After adjustment for other cancer predictors, the only excess risk was for uterine cancer among primary infertility patients. Compared with women with secondary infertility and no androgen excess/menstrual disorder, those with primary infertility and a disorder had an RR of 1.88 (95% CI, 0.82-4.32). Cancer risks among the women with polycystic ovary syndrome or androgen excess disorders appeared to be similar to those in the more comprehensive group.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Previous findings linking androgen excess disorders to elevated uterine cancer risks might largely reflect underlying risk profiles.
authors: National Cancer Institute, Rockville, Maryland, USA. brinton@nih.gov
authors: Louise A
authors: LA
authors: Brinton
authors: Kamran S
authors: KS
authors: Moghissi
authors: Carolyn L
authors: CL
authors: Westhoff
authors: Emmet J
authors: EJ
authors: Lamb
authors: Bert
authors: B
authors: Scoccia
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000453:epidemiology; D015331:Cohort Studies; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D017588:Hyperandrogenism / Q000150:complications*; D015994:Incidence; D007247:Infertility, Female / Q000150:complications*; D008545:Melanoma / Q000453:epidemiology; D008599:Menstruation Disturbances / Q000150:complications*; D011085:Polycystic Ovary Syndrome / Q000150:complications*; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012307:Risk Factors; D012878:Skin Neoplasms / Q000453:epidemiology; D014594:Uterine Neoplasms / Q000453:epidemiology*