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Is body size associated with ovarian cancer in southern Chinese women?

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Abstract

Purpose

To investigate the association between risk of ovarian cancer and body size among southern Chinese women.

Methods

A hospital-based case–control study was undertaken in Guangzhou, Guangdong Province, from 2006 to 2008. Participants were 500 incident ovarian cancer patients and 500 controls, with a mean age of 59 years. Information on adult height and weight was obtained via face-to-face interview using a structured questionnaire. Logistic regression analyses were performed to assess the association between anthropometric factors and the ovarian cancer risk.

Results

Compared with women having body weight ≤50 kg and body mass index (BMI) <18.5 kg/m2, the adjusted odds ratios (ORs) of ovarian cancer were 1.84 (95 % confidence interval (CI) 1.34–2.54) and 1.77 (95 % CI 1.04–3.02) in those women who had body weight >55 kg and BMI ≥23 kg/m2, respectively. Significant dose–response relationships were also observed for both weight and BMI (p < 0.01). Body height was not significantly associated with ovarian cancer risk.

Conclusion

Body weight and BMI were associated with increased risk of ovarian cancer in southern Chinese women.

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Acknowledgments

We gratefully acknowledge the willing cooperation given by the patients and medical and nursing staff from the participating hospitals.

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The authors declare that they have no conflicts of interest.

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Correspondence to Maria Pasalich.

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Su, D., Pasalich, M., Binns, C.W. et al. Is body size associated with ovarian cancer in southern Chinese women?. Cancer Causes Control 23, 1977–1984 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10552-012-0075-y

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