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Hormone therapy and ovarian cancer: incidence and survival

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Abstract

Objective

We conducted a population-based case–control study to investigate the association between hormone therapy (HT) and ovarian cancer incidence, and followed all these cancer cases to determine the association of HT use with ovarian cancer mortality.

Methods

Seven hundred fifty-one incident cases of invasive epithelial ovarian cancer aged 40–79 years were diagnosed in Massachusetts and Wisconsin between 1993–1995 and 1998–2001 and matched to similarly aged controls (n = 5,808). Study subjects were interviewed by telephone, which ascertained information on HT use and specific preparation, estrogen alone (E-alone) or estrogen plus progestin (EP). Ovarian cancer cases were followed-up for mortality through December 2005. Multivariate logistic regression was used to estimate odds ratios and 95% confidence intervals (CI) for ovarian cancer incidence, and Cox proportional hazards modeling was used to estimate hazard ratios and corresponding confidence intervals for ovarian cancer mortality.

Results

Ever use of HT was significantly associated with an increased risk of ovarian cancer (odds ratio 1.57, 95% CI 1.31–1.87). The excess risk was confined to women who used E-alone preparations (OR 2.33, 95% CI 1.85–2.95). No significant associations were detected between pre-diagnosis HT use and ovarian cancer survival.

Conclusions

Hormone therapy increases risk of ovarian cancer among E-alone users, but there is no substantial impact on survival after diagnosis.

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Acknowledgments

We are indebted to Drs. Linda Titus-Ernstoff, John Baron, Patrick Remington, Meir Stampfer, and Walter Willett for advice regarding the conduct of this study and Deanne Young for editorial assistance. This research was funded by National Institute of Health Grants R01 CA47147 and CA47305.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Cancer Prevention Program, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, 1100 Fairview Ave N, M4-B402, Seattle, WA, 98109, USA

    Karen J. Wernli & Polly A. Newcomb

  2. University of Wisconsin Paul P. Carbone Comprehensive Cancer Center, Madison, WI, 53726, USA

    Polly A. Newcomb, John M. Hampton & Amy Trentham-Dietz

  3. H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center and Research Institute, University of South Florida, Tampa, FL, 33612, USA

    Kathleen M. Egan

Authors
  1. Karen J. Wernli
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  2. Polly A. Newcomb
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  3. John M. Hampton
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  4. Amy Trentham-Dietz
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  5. Kathleen M. Egan
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Correspondence to Karen J. Wernli.

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Wernli, K.J., Newcomb, P.A., Hampton, J.M. et al. Hormone therapy and ovarian cancer: incidence and survival. Cancer Causes Control 19, 605–613 (2008). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10552-008-9125-x

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10552-008-9125-x

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