title: Reproductive and hormonal factors and pancreatic cancer risk in women.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To investigate the role of menstrual, reproductive, and hormonal factors, as well as benign female conditions, on pancreatic cancer risk.
  
  
  METHODS
  We analyzed the combined data from 2 Italian case-control studies including 285 female case patients of pancreatic cancer and 713 female controls. All subjects were interviewed by trained interviewers during their hospital stay using similar structured questionnaires. Odds ratios (ORs) and their corresponding 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were estimated using multiple logistic regression models adjusted for selected covariates.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Compared to nulliparae, the OR was 0.76 (95% CI, 0.51-1.12) for parous women and 0.46 (95% CI, 0.26-0.85) for women with 4 or more births, in the absence, however, of a significant trend with increasing number of births. Pancreatic cancer risk was also nonsignificantly reduced among women with age at first birth lower than 25 years (OR, 0.65; 95% CI, 0.42-1.01). Other factors, including age at menarche and menopause, menopausal status, type of menopause, history of spontaneous and induced abortions, use of oral contraceptives and hormone replacement therapy, and history of most female benign conditions were not related to pancreatic cancer risk.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  This study provides little support for the hypothesis that menstrual, reproductive, or hormonal factors are related to the development of pancreatic cancer.
authors.affiliation: Dipartimento di Epidemiologia, Istituto di Ricerche Farmacologiche Mario Negri, Milan, Italy. ersilia.lucenteforte@marionegri.it
authors.forename: Ersilia
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Lucenteforte
authors.forename: Antonella
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Zucchetto
authors.forename: Cristina
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Bosetti
authors.forename: Renato
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Talamini
authors.forename: Eva
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Negri
authors.forename: Diego
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Serraino
authors.forename: Silvia
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Franceschi
authors.forename: Loren
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Lipworth
authors.forename: Carlo
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: La Vecchia
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D003276:Contraceptives, Oral / Q000009:adverse effects; D015914:Estrogen Replacement Therapy / Q000009:adverse effects; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008593:Menopause; D008598:Menstruation; D008875:Middle Aged; D010190:Pancreatic Neoplasms / Q000209:etiology*; D010298:Parity; D011247:Pregnancy; D012098:Reproduction; D012307:Risk Factors; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D003276:Contraceptives, Oral