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Some life-style factors and the risk of invasive epithelial ovarian cancer in Swedish women

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Abstract

The objective of this nationwide case-control study was to examine body mass index (BMI), alcohol use, coffee consumption, cigarette smoking, and leisure-time physical activity in relation to epithelial ovarian cancer (EOC) risk. Subjects were 655 newly diagnosed EOC cases and 3899 population controls, all 50-74 years of age at recruitment between 1993 and 1995. Data were collected through mailed questionnaires. Odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were estimated using unconditional logistic regression. Women with a BMI ≥ 30 kg/m2 compared with those with a BMI < 22 kg/m2 appeared to have an elevated EOC risk (OR = 1.37, 95% CI: 1.01-1.85), particularly of mucinous (OR = 2.76, 95% CI: 1.15-6.61) and clear-cell histologies (OR = 2.68, 95% CI: 0.96-7.48). The OR for EOC among coffee users reporting ≥ 6 daily cups compared with non-users was 0.68 (95% CI: 0.42-1.10). Alcohol consumption was unrelated to EOC risk. Compared to non-smokers the ORs of EOC among current smokers were 0.70 (95% CI: 0.52-0.94) for those who smoked 1-10 cigarettes/day and 0.74 (95% CI: 0.53-1.02) for heavier smokers, while former smokers were at an unaltered risk (OR = 0.83, 95% CI: 0.66-1.04). Reduced EOC risks were observed among women in the highest compared with the lowest physical activity levels both at age 18-30 years (OR = 0.67, 95% CI: 0.52-0.87) and during the last years preceding study enrollment (OR = 0.68, 95% CI: 0.53-0.87). We conclude that women may avoid an excess risk of EOC through maintaining a normal BMI and reduce their risk by participation in leisure-time physical activity. The use of coffee, alcohol, or cigarette smoking does not appear␣to increase the risk of EOC.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Falu Hospital, Falun, 79182, Sweden;(

    Tomas Riman & Staffan Nilsson

  2. Department of Medical Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden

    Tomas Riman, Paul Dickman, Staffan Nilsson, Cecilia M. Magnusson & Ingemar R. Persson

  3. Center for Clinical Research, Dalarna, Sweden

    Tomas Riman

  4. Department of Pathology, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden

    Hans Nordlinder

  5. Department of Pathology, Sahlgrenska University Hospital, Gothenburg, Sweden

    Hans Nordlinder

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  1. Tomas Riman
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  6. Ingemar R. Persson
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Riman, T., Dickman, P., Nilsson, S. et al. Some life-style factors and the risk of invasive epithelial ovarian cancer in Swedish women. Eur J Epidemiol 19, 1011–1019 (2004). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10654-004-1633-8

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10654-004-1633-8

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