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Coffee intake, variants in genes involved in caffeine metabolism, and the risk of epithelial ovarian cancer

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Abstract

We evaluated whether genetic variability, as well as menopausal status, modify the association between coffee intake and risk of ovarian cancer. Risk factor information and biologic specimens from three large epidemiological studies, the Nurses’ Health Study (NHS), NHSII, and the New England based Case-Control Study of ovarian cancer (NECC) were pooled resulting in 1,354 ovarian cancer cases and 1,851 controls for analysis. Odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) were estimated using conditional (NHS/NHSII) and unconditional (NECC) logistic regression. Coffee consumption was not associated with overall risk (OR = 0.99; 95% CI 0.77–1.28); however, there was a suggested increased risk of ovarian cancer among premenopausal women in the NECC only and an inverse association among postmenopausal women. Carrying one or both of the variant CYP19013 A or CYP19027 G alleles was associated with an 18% increased (P for trend = 0.02) and 15% decreased (P for trend = 0.05) risk of ovarian cancer, respectively. Variation in CYP1A1, CYP1A2, or CYP2A6 did not explain the inconsistent reports of coffee intake and risk. Furthermore, we did not observe any clear gene–environment interactions between caffeine metabolizing genes and ovarian cancer. Future studies evaluating mechanisms by which coffee mediates this relationship are warranted.

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Notes

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Acknowledgments

The authors thank David Cox, Margaret Gates, Aditi Hazra, and Simone Pinheiro for their statistical guidance, Hardeep Ranu for her laboratory technical assistance, as well as the study participants of the New England Case-Control Study and the Nurses’ Health Study for their dedication to these studies and their contribution to this research. This research was supported by Research Grants CA105009, CA50385, P50 CA105009 (CA49449 and P01 CA87969) from the National Cancer Institute. J.K. is a Research Fellow of the Canadian Cancer Society supported through an award from the National Cancer Institute of Canada.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Channing Laboratory, Department of Medicine, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Harvard Medical School, 181 Longwood Ave., 3rd Floor, Boston, MA, 02115, USA

    Joanne Kotsopoulos, Immaculata De Vivo, Susan E. Hankinson & Shelley S. Tworoger

  2. Obstetrics and Gynecology Epidemiology Center, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, 221 Longwood Ave., Boston, MA, 02115, USA

    Allison F. Vitonis, Kathryn L. Terry & Daniel W. Cramer

  3. Department of Epidemiology, Harvard School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA

    Kathryn L. Terry, Immaculata De Vivo, Daniel W. Cramer, Susan E. Hankinson & Shelley S. Tworoger

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  1. Joanne Kotsopoulos
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  2. Allison F. Vitonis
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Correspondence to Joanne Kotsopoulos.

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Kotsopoulos, J., Vitonis, A.F., Terry, K.L. et al. Coffee intake, variants in genes involved in caffeine metabolism, and the risk of epithelial ovarian cancer. Cancer Causes Control 20, 335–344 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10552-008-9247-1

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