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Perinatal markers of estrogen exposure and risk of testicular cancer: follow-up of 1,333,873 Danish males born between 1950 and 2002

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Abstract

Objective

To examine whether indicators of an increased prenatal estrogen exposure correlate with risk of testicular cancer.

Methods

This nationwide follow-up study was conducted by linking data on prenatal exposures obtained from medical and birth records for information on incident testicular cancer cases identified from the Danish Cancer Registry. The study population included all boys born between 1950 and 2002 and alive in April 1968 or later with restriction to sons of mothers born after 1935 and alive in April 1968.

Results

A total of 2,151 incident testicular cancer cases were identified in 29 million person-years at risk. Men born with a high birth weight (>4,150 g) had an increased risk of testicular cancer [incidence rate ratio (IRR) = 1.6 (95% CI: 1.0, 2.4)]. Having a twin sister was associated with reduced risk [IRR = 0.5 (95% CI: 0.2, 1.1)], and the IRR for sons of mothers suffering from preeclampsia indicated a low risk [IRR = 0.6 (95% CI: 0.2, 2.0)], although none of these estimates were statistically significant. Increasing sib order and preterm birth was not associated with decreased risk.

Principal conclusions

Results provide no strong evidence for the hypothesis.

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Acknowledgments

This study was supported by the Danish Cancer Association (grant number DP 04 127) and the Danish Medical Research Council (grant number 271-07-0051).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Occupational Medicine, Aarhus University Hospital, Noerrebrogade 44, Building 2C, 8000, Aarhus, Denmark

    Cecilia Høst Ramlau-Hansen

  2. Department of Epidemiology, Institute of Public Health, University of Aarhus, Aarhus, Denmark

    Anne Vingaard Olesen

  3. Unit for Psychiatric Research, Aalborg Psychiatric Hospital, Aarhus University Hospital, Aarhus, Denmark

    Anne Vingaard Olesen

  4. Department of Biostatistics, Institute of Public Health, University of Aarhus, Aarhus, Denmark

    Erik Thorlund Parner

  5. Department of Clinical Epidemiology, Aarhus University Hospital, Aarhus, Denmark

    Henrik Toft Sørensen

  6. Department of Epidemiology, Boston University, Boston, MA, USA

    Henrik Toft Sørensen

  7. Danish Epidemiology Science Centre, Institute of Public Health, University of Aarhus, Aarhus, Denmark

    Jørn Olsen

  8. Department of Epidemiology, UCLA School of Public Health, Los Angeles, CA, USA

    Jørn Olsen

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  1. Cecilia Høst Ramlau-Hansen
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  2. Anne Vingaard Olesen
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Correspondence to Cecilia Høst Ramlau-Hansen.

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Ramlau-Hansen, C.H., Olesen, A.V., Parner, E.T. et al. Perinatal markers of estrogen exposure and risk of testicular cancer: follow-up of 1,333,873 Danish males born between 1950 and 2002. Cancer Causes Control 20, 1587–1592 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10552-009-9403-2

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10552-009-9403-2

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