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Height, Age at Menarche, and Risk of Epithelial Ovarian Cancer

¹ Cancer and Population Studies Group, Queensland Institute of Medical Research and ² School of Population Health, University of Queensland, Brisbane, Australia

Requests for reprints: Susan Jordan, Cancer and Population Studies Group, Queensland Institute of Medical Research, PO Royal Brisbane Hospital, 4029 Herston, Queensland, Australia. Phone: 61-7-3845-3562; Fax: 61-7-3845-3502. E-mail: susan.jordan{at}qimr.edu.au

Objective: We hypothesized that the hormonal changes of adolescence influence ovarian cancer risk particularly in younger women. We investigated this possibility by examining the relationship between ovarian cancer and adult height and age at menarche as both factors reflect pubertal hormonal levels.

Methods: Participants were a population-based sample of women with incident ovarian cancer (n = 794) and control women randomly selected from the Australian Electoral Roll (n = 855). The women provided comprehensive reproductive and lifestyle data during a standard interview.

Results: Although neither height nor age at menarche was significantly related to the risk of ovarian cancer overall, increasing height was associated with increasing risk of the subgroup of mucinous borderline ovarian cancer (odds ratio, 5.3; 95% confidence interval, 1.5-19.1 for women 175 cm compared with women <160 cm, P_trend = 0.02). Similarly, later age at menarche was associated with increasing risk of mucinous borderline cancers (odds ratio, 3.8; 95% confidence interval, 1.3-11.4 for those with age at menarche 14 years compared with those <12 years, P_trend = 0.003). Women with mucinous borderline cancers were significantly younger than the women diagnosed with invasive cancers (mean 44 versus 57 years; P < 0.0001).

Conclusions: Development of mucinous borderline ovarian cancers, predominantly diagnosed in women ages under 50 years, seems to be associated with age at menarche and attained adult height. These results are consistent with our original hypothesis that pubertal levels of reproductive hormones and insulin-like growth factor-I influence ovarian cancer risk in younger women.

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