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A pooled multisite analysis of the effects of female reproductive hormones on glioma risk

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Abstract

Purpose

The association between female reproductive factors and glioma risk is unclear, but most published studies have been limited by small sample size. We conducted a pooled multisite study of pre- and postmenopausal women, investigating the effect of female reproductive factors, including hormonal medications.

Methods

Unconditional logistic regression was used to calculate odds ratios (ORs) and 95 % confidence intervals (95 % CIs) assessing the effects of female reproductive factors and female hormonal medications in glioma cases and unrelated controls.

Results

Menarche over the age of 15 as compared to under 12 was associated with a statistically significant risk for glioma (OR 2.00, 95 % CI 1.47–2.71). Use of oral contraceptive pills (OCP) was inversely associated with risk of glioma (OR 0.61, 95 % CI 0.50–0.74), and there was an inverse trend with longer duration of OCP use (p for trend <0.0001). Use of hormone replacement therapy (HRT) was also inversely associated with risk of glioma (OR 0.55, 95 % CI 0.44–0.68), and there was an inverse trend with longer duration of use (p for trend <0.0001). Compared to those reporting neither OCP use nor HRT use, those who reported using both were less likely to have a diagnosis of glioma (OR 0.34, 95 % CI 0.24–0.48).

Conclusions

Female reproductive hormones may decrease the risk for glioma. The association appears to be strongest with greater length of use and use of both HRT and OCP.

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Acknowledgments

The Brain Tumor Epidemiology Consortium (BTEC) was instrumental in facilitating the collaboration and data sharing necessary for this study. In addition, the following individuals are acknowledged for their contributions: MD Anderson: Phyllis Adatto; University of Illinois at Chicago/Duke Study: Candace Zahora, Kristin Rankin, North Shore University Health System: Pat Lada, and Nicholas Vick; University of California at San Francisco: Lucie McCoy and Terri Rice. Research at the University of Illinois at Chicago was conducted under a Brain Tumor SPORE grant project (NIH Specialized Programs of Research Excellence grant 5P50 CA108786-4), directed by Dr. Faith Davis, Dr. Darell Bigner and Dr. Francis Ali-Osman. Funding was also received from the American Brain Tumor Association. Data from MD Anderson Cancer Center were collected under NIH grant R01CA070917 (M. Bondy, PI). M. E. Scheurer was funded by NIH grant K07CA131505. Data from UCSF were collected with funding from R01CA52689 and P50CA097257.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Medicine, New York Institute of Technology College of Osteopathic Medicine, Northern Boulevard, P.O. Box 8000, Old Westbury, NY, 11568-8000, USA

    Bhuma Krishnamachari

  2. Duke Cancer Institute, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC, USA

    Dora Il’yasova

  3. Department of Pediatrics and Dan L. Duncan Cancer Center, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA

    Michael E. Scheurer & Melissa L. Bondy

  4. Department of Neurological Surgery, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA

    Margaret Wrensch

  5. Division of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL, USA

    Faith G. Davis

Authors
  1. Bhuma Krishnamachari
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  2. Dora Il’yasova
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  3. Michael E. Scheurer
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  4. Melissa L. Bondy
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  5. Margaret Wrensch
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  6. Faith G. Davis
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Correspondence to Bhuma Krishnamachari.

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Krishnamachari, B., Il’yasova, D., Scheurer, M.E. et al. A pooled multisite analysis of the effects of female reproductive hormones on glioma risk. Cancer Causes Control 25, 1007–1013 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10552-014-0400-8

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10552-014-0400-8

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