|
News
Ovarian Cancer Risk Unaffected by Smoking but Possibly Lowered by Caffeine Consumption
Authors and Disclosures
Roxanne Nelson
Disclosure: Roxanne Nelson, has disclosed no relevant financial information.
Désirée Lie, MD, MSEd
Disclosure: Désirée Lie, MD, MSEd, has disclosed no relevant financial relationships.
Brande Nicole Martin
Disclosure: Brande Nicole Martin has disclosed no relevant financial information.
January 23, 2008 Aside from a link to mucinous tumors, cigarette smoking does not seem to raise the risk for ovarian cancer. Alcohol use was also not associated with an increased risk, according to a new study published in the January 18 Online First issue of Cancer. However, the researchers noted an inverse association between caffeine intake and the risk for ovarian cancer, especially in women who have not previously used exogenous hormones.
The association of modifiable factors such as smoking and the consumption of caffeine and alcohol and the risk for ovarian cancer remains unclear.
Results of a meta-analysis found no overall association between smoking and the risk for ovarian cancer, but that current smokers did have twice the risk for mucinous tumors. Several other studies have suggested a positive association for all subtypes of invasive epithelial ovarian cancer incidence or mortality among women who are current and long-term smokers.
"Substantial evidence supports that smoking only increases the risk of a specific subtype of ovarian cancer, the mucinous type," lead author Shelley Tworoger, PhD, an assistant professor of medicine and epidemiology at Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, told Medscape Oncology.
"However, because of the many health benefits of smoking cessation, it is important to encourage people to stop smoking."
Previous studies have also shown the association between alcohol and ovarian cancer generally to be either modestly inverse or null. Some data also have shown caffeine to be inversely associated with the risk for ovarian cancer, although the association with the consumption of caffeinated beverages such as tea and coffee has been inconsistent.
In the current study, Dr. Tworoger and colleagues examined the associations between smoking, alcohol intake, caffeine consumption, and the risk for ovarian cancer, using the Nurses' Health Study (NHS). Data were prospectively examined among 110,454 women for the smoking analyses and
80,253 women for the dietary analyses.
The NHS began in 1976, and the cohort was followed up every 2 years to update exposure variables and ascertain newly diagnosed disease. A food frequency questionnaire was added in 1980 and was administered every 2 to 4 years. Using this database, the researchers identified 737 incident cases of epithelial ovarian cancer between June 1, 1976, and June 1, 2004, among the total cohort that participated in the NHS. Among respondents to the 1980 food frequency questionnaire, 507 cases were identified.
An association between current or past smoking and the risk for ovarian cancer was not observed, and the risk did not seem to rise with increasing duration of smoking or pack-years. However, the researchers did find that smoking was significantly associated with the risk for mucinous tumors: a relative risk (RR) of 2.22 for current smokers and 2.02 for past smokers.
The risk of developing a mucinous tumor was also associated with the duration of tobacco use.
An association between alcohol intake and ovarian cancer risk was not observed, but a small inverse association between caffeine intake and ovarian cancer risk was observed. The inverse association was most pronounced in women who had never used oral contraceptives or received hormone replacement therapy during menopause. Consumption of caffeinated coffee and tea were associated with ovarian cancer risk, but not the intake of caffeinated cola drinks.
"As for the caffeine, coffee, and tea relationships, it is too early to make clinical recommendations," said Dr. Tworoger. "We hope that other studies will examine the relationship between these factors and ovarian cancer risk in an effort to confirm these relationships. However, women who are concerned about their risk of ovarian cancer should speak with their doctor about possible lifestyle changes."
The study was supported by grants from the National Institutes of Health.
Cancer. Published online January 18, 2008.
|
