title: Reproductive and hormonal factors in relation to survival and platinum resistance among ovarian cancer cases.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Ovarian cancer survival is poor, particularly for platinum-resistant cases. The previous literature on pre-diagnostic reproductive factors and ovarian cancer survival has been mixed. Therefore, we evaluated pre-diagnostic reproductive and hormonal factors with overall survival and, additionally, platinum-chemotherapy resistance.
  
  
  METHODS
  We followed 1649 invasive epithelial ovarian cancer cases who were enrolled between 1992 and 2008 for overall mortality within the New England Case-Control Study and abstracted chemotherapy data on a subset (n=449). We assessed pre-diagnostic reproductive and hormonal factors during in-person interviews. We calculated hazard ratios (HRs) using Cox-proportional hazards models.
  
  
  RESULTS
  We observed 911 all-cause deaths among 1649 ovarian cancer cases. Self-reported endometriosis and longer duration of hormone therapy use were associated with improved survival (HR: 0.72; 95% confidence interval (CI): 0.54-0.94 and HR, ⩾5 years vs never: 0.70; 95% CI: 0.55-0.90, respectively). Older age at menopause and menarche were associated with worse survival (HR, ⩽50 vs >50 years: 1.23; 95% CI: 1.03-1.46 and HR, 13 vs <13 years: 1.24; 95% CI: 1.06-1.44, respectively). We observed no association between oral contraceptive use, parity and tubal ligation, and overall survival. No significant associations were observed for any of the reproductive and hormonal factors and platinum resistance.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  These results suggest that pre-diagnostic exposures such as endometriosis and HT use may influence overall survival among ovarian cancer patients.
authors.affiliation: Department of Epidemiology, Harvard TH Chan School of Public Health, 677 Huntington Avenue, 9th Floor, Boston, MA 02115, USA.|Department of Medicine, Channing Division of Network Medicine, Brigham and Women's Hospital and Harvard Medical School, 181 Longwood Avenue, Boston, MA 02115, USA.
authors.forename: Amy L
authors.initials: AL
authors.lastname: Shafrir
authors.affiliation: Department of Medical Oncology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and Harvard Medical School, 450 Brookline Avenue, Boston, MA 02215, USA.
authors.forename: Ana
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Babic
authors.affiliation: Department of Epidemiology, Harvard TH Chan School of Public Health, 677 Huntington Avenue, 9th Floor, Boston, MA 02115, USA.|Department of Medicine, Channing Division of Network Medicine, Brigham and Women's Hospital and Harvard Medical School, 181 Longwood Avenue, Boston, MA 02115, USA.
authors.forename: Rulla M
authors.initials: RM
authors.lastname: Tamimi
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine, Channing Division of Network Medicine, Brigham and Women's Hospital and Harvard Medical School, 181 Longwood Avenue, Boston, MA 02115, USA.|Department of Biostatistics, Harvard TH Chan School of Public Health, 677 Huntington Avenue, Boston, MA 02115, USA.
authors.forename: Bernard A
authors.initials: BA
authors.lastname: Rosner
authors.affiliation: Department of Epidemiology, Harvard TH Chan School of Public Health, 677 Huntington Avenue, 9th Floor, Boston, MA 02115, USA.|Department of Medicine, Channing Division of Network Medicine, Brigham and Women's Hospital and Harvard Medical School, 181 Longwood Avenue, Boston, MA 02115, USA.
authors.forename: Shelley S
authors.initials: SS
authors.lastname: Tworoger
authors.affiliation: Department of Epidemiology, Harvard TH Chan School of Public Health, 677 Huntington Avenue, 9th Floor, Boston, MA 02115, USA.|Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Obstetrics and Gynecology Epidemiology Center, Brigham and Women's Hospital and Harvard Medical School, 221 Longwood Avenue, Boston, MA 02115, USA.
authors.forename: Kathryn L
authors.initials: KL
authors.lastname: Terry
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000970:Antineoplastic Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D019008:Drug Resistance, Neoplasm; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008572:Menarche; D008593:Menopause; D008875:Middle Aged; D010051:Ovarian Neoplasms / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000473:pathology / Q000503:physiopathology; D010984:Platinum / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D016019:Survival Analysis; D015996:Survival Rate
chemical_list: D000970:Antineoplastic Agents; D010984:Platinum