title: Circulating prolactin levels and risk of epithelial ovarian cancer.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Indirect evidence from experimental and epidemiological studies suggests that prolactin may be involved in ovarian cancer development. However, the relationship between circulating prolactin levels and risk of ovarian cancer is unknown.
  
  
  METHODS
  We conducted a nested case-control study of 230 cases and 432 individually matched controls within three prospective cohorts to evaluate whether pre-diagnostic circulating prolactin is associated with subsequent risk of ovarian cancer. We also assessed whether lifestyle and reproductive factors are associated with circulating prolactin among controls.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Prolactin levels were significantly lower among post- versus pre-menopausal women, parous versus nulliparous women, and past versus never users of oral contraceptives in our cross-sectional analysis of controls. In our nested case-control study, we observed a non-significant positive association between circulating prolactin and ovarian cancer risk (OR(Q4vsQ1) 1.56, 95 % CI 0.94, 2.63, p trend 0.15). Our findings were similar in multivariate-adjusted models and in the subgroup of women who donated blood ≥5 years prior to diagnosis. We observed a significant positive association between prolactin and risk for the subgroup of women with BMI ≥25 kg/m(2) (OR(Q4vsQ1) 3.10, 95 % CI 1.39, 6.90), but not for women with BMI <25 kg/m(2) (OR(Q4vsQ1) 0.81, 95 % CI 0.40, 1.64).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Our findings suggest that prolactin may be associated with increased risk of ovarian cancer, particularly in overweight/obese women. Factors associated with reduced risk of ovarian cancer, such as parity and use of oral contraceptives, were associated with lower prolactin levels, which suggests that modulation of prolactin may be a mechanism underlying their association with risk.
authors: Department of Population Health, New York University School of Medicine, New York, NY, USA. tess.clendenen@nyumc.org
authors: Tess V
authors: TV
authors: Clendenen
authors: Alan A
authors: AA
authors: Arslan
authors: Anna E
authors: AE
authors: Lokshin
authors: Mengling
authors: M
authors: Liu
authors: Eva
authors: E
authors: Lundin
authors: Karen L
authors: KL
authors: Koenig
authors: Franco
authors: F
authors: Berrino
authors: Goran
authors: G
authors: Hallmans
authors: Annika
authors: A
authors: Idahl
authors: Vittorio
authors: V
authors: Krogh
authors: Annekatrin
authors: A
authors: Lukanova
authors: Adele
authors: A
authors: Marrangoni
authors: Paola
authors: P
authors: Muti
authors: Brian M
authors: BM
authors: Nolen
authors: Nina
authors: N
authors: Ohlson
authors: Roy E
authors: RE
authors: Shore
authors: Sabina
authors: S
authors: Sieri
authors: Anne
authors: A
authors: Zeleniuch-Jacquotte
mesh_terms: D018262:Adenocarcinoma, Clear Cell / Q000097:blood / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000209:etiology*; D002288:Adenocarcinoma, Mucinous / Q000097:blood / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000209:etiology*; D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor / Q000097:blood*; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D018284:Cystadenocarcinoma, Serous / Q000097:blood / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000209:etiology*; D016889:Endometrial Neoplasms / Q000097:blood / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000209:etiology*; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008593:Menopause; D008875:Middle Aged; D009367:Neoplasm Staging; D010051:Ovarian Neoplasms / Q000097:blood / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000209:etiology*; D011379:Prognosis; D011388:Prolactin / Q000097:blood*; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012307:Risk Factors
chemical_list: D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor; D011388:Prolactin
references: Endocr Rev. 1995 Jun;16(3):354-69
references: 7671851
references: Cancer Causes Control. 2011 Apr;22(4):581-8
references: 21287259
references: Int J Cancer. 1981 Jul 15;28(1):31-4
references: 7309279
references: Stat Methods Med Res. 2007 Jun;16(3):219-42
references: 17621469
references: Eur J Cancer Clin Oncol. 1985 Dec;21(12):1553-4
references: 3830733
references: Obstet Gynecol. 1990 Jul;76(1):71-8
references: 2359568
references: Reproduction. 2010 Nov;140(5):643-54
references: 20733016
references: Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev. 1993 Sep-Oct;2(5):411-4
references: 8220084
references: Br J Cancer. 1981 Jun;43(6):826-31
references: 7248160
references: Cancer Lett. 2011 Nov 1;310(1):101-8
references: 21775057
references: Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2005 May 24;102(21):7677-82
references: 15890779
references: Cancer Causes Control. 1995 May;6(3):217-24
references: 7612801
references: Gynecol Obstet Invest. 1999;48(1):48-51
references: 10394092
references: J Clin Endocrinol Metab. 1981 Jul;53(1):179-83
references: 7240375
references: Int J Cancer. 2005 Jul 1;115(4):539-44
references: 15700312
references: Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev. 2011 May;20(5):799-810
references: 21467242
references: Cancer Res. 1978 Nov;38(11 Pt 2):4006-11
references: 698948
references: N Engl J Med. 1987 Jan 29;316(5):229-34
references: 3099198
references: Gynecol Oncol. 2011 Sep;122(3):560-6
references: 21704359
references: Mol Cell Endocrinol. 2012 Jun 5;356(1-2):80-7
references: 21664429
references: Eur J Cancer Prev. 1997 Aug;6(4):330-40
references: 9370095
references: Eur J Cancer Clin Oncol. 1987 Oct;23(10):1541-8
references: 3678318
references: Oncology. 1980;37(1):33-6
references: 7350553
references: Cancer. 1991 Sep 15;68(6):1401-5
references: 1873792
references: Am J Obstet Gynecol. 1977 Nov 1;129(5):557-64
references: 910845
references: Fertil Steril. 1997 Oct;68(4):696-701
references: 9341613
references: Int J Cancer. 2007 Apr 1;120(7):1536-41
references: 17211859
references: Med J Aust. 1990 Oct 15;153(8):469-73
references: 2215338
references: Br J Cancer. 2010 Sep 28;103(7):1097-102
references: 20736944
references: Physiol Rev. 2000 Oct;80(4):1523-631
references: 11015620
references: Nat Med. 2006 Aug;12(8):939-44
references: 16862152
references: Ann N Y Acad Sci. 2011 Jul;1229:45-52
references: 21793838
references: Biol Reprod. 1985 Aug;33(1):247-58
references: 3933584
references: Clin Cancer Res. 2009 Apr 15;15(8):2695-702
references: 19351748
references: Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev. 1996 Nov;5(11):917-22
references: 8922301
references: J Natl Cancer Inst. 1986 Sep;77(3):613-6
references: 3462404
references: J Endocrinol Invest. 1993 Nov;16(10):807-16
references: 8144855
references: Int J Cancer. 1984 May 15;33(5):629-32
references: 6724738
references: Aust N Z J Obstet Gynaecol. 2011 Aug;51(4):321-4
references: 21806583
references: N Engl J Med. 1975 Oct 16;293(16):790-5
references: 1160970
references: Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev. 1995 Sep;4(6):649-54
references: 8547832
references: Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev. 2006 May;15(5):972-8
references: 16702379
references: J Clin Endocrinol Metab. 1998 Mar;83(3):761-4
references: 9506722
references: Eur J Cancer Clin Oncol. 1988 Jul;24(7):1225-31
references: 3416905
references: Cancer Res. 2009 Jun 15;69(12):5226-33
references: 19491263
references: Psychoneuroendocrinology. 2011 Nov;36(10):1530-9
references: 21621331
references: Biol Reprod. 2008 Oct;79(4):748-57
references: 18596217
references: Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev. 2008 Aug;17(8):1880-3
references: 18708375
references: J Natl Cancer Inst. 1985 Apr;74(4):741-5
references: 3857369
references: Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev. 2007 May;16(5):895-9
references: 17507612