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Caffeine, alcohol, smoking, and the risk of incident epithelial ovarian cancer

  1. Shelley S. Tworoger PhD1,2,†,*,
  2. Dorota M. Gertig MBBS, ScD3,4,
  3. Margaret A. Gates ScD1,2,
  4. Jonathan L. Hecht MD, PhD5,
  5. Susan E. Hankinson ScD1,2

Article first published online: 22 JAN 2008

DOI: 10.1002/cncr.23275

Issue

Cancer

Cancer

Volume 112, Issue 5, pages 1169–1177, March 2008

Additional Information

How to Cite

Tworoger, S. S., Gertig, D. M., Gates, M. A., Hecht, J. L. and Hankinson, S. E. (2008), Caffeine, alcohol, smoking, and the risk of incident epithelial ovarian cancer. Cancer, 112: 1169–1177. doi: 10.1002/cncr.23275

Author Information

  1. 1

    Channing Laboratory, Department of Medicine, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts

  2. 2

    Department of Epidemiology, Harvard School of Public Health, Boston, Massachusetts

  3. 3

    Victorian Cytology Service, Carlton South, Victoria, Australia

  4. 4

    Centre for Molecular, Environmental, Genetic and Analytical Epidemiology, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia

  5. 5

    Department of Pathology, Beth-Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Boston, Massachusetts

  1. †

    Fax: (617) 525-2008

*Channing Laboratory, Department of Medicine, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, 181 Longwood Avenue, 3rd Floor, Boston, MA 02115

Publication History

  1. Issue published online: 19 FEB 2008
  2. Article first published online: 22 JAN 2008
  3. Manuscript Accepted: 1 OCT 2007
  4. Manuscript Revised: 13 SEP 2007
  5. Manuscript Received: 5 JUL 2007

Funded by

  • National Institutes of Health. Grant Numbers: P01 CA87969, CA105009, CA50385, P50 CA105009

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Keywords:

  • ovarian cancer;
  • caffeine;
  • alcohol;
  • smoking;
  • coffee;
  • tea;
  • prospective

The modifiable risk factors for ovarian cancer were examined and it was found that cigarette smoking increased the risk only for mucinous ovarian tumors, whereas alcohol intake was not associated with risk. However, an inverse association was observed between caffeine intake and ovarian cancer risk, particularly in women not using hormones. This finding merits further study.

Abstract

BACKGROUND

Smoking, caffeine, and alcohol intake are all potentially modifiable factors that have an unclear association with ovarian cancer risk. Therefore, the associations between these exposures and ovarian cancer risk were prospectively examined among 110,454 women in the Nurses' Health Study (NHS) for the smoking analyses and 80,253 women for the dietary analyses.

METHODS

Women completed biennial questionnaires assessing ovarian cancer risk factors beginning in 1976, with food frequency questionnaires administered every 2 to 4 years starting in 1980. For the smoking analyses, 737 confirmed cases of epithelial ovarian cancer were identified and for the dietary aims, 507 cases were identified through June 1, 2004.

RESULTS

Compared with never-smokers, neither current nor past smoking was associated with ovarian cancer risk overall; however, both were associated with mucinous tumors (n = 69; rate ratio [RR], past = 2.02 [95% confidence interval (CI), 1.15–3.55]; RR, current = 2.22 [95% CI, 1.16–4.24]). A modest inverse association between caffeine intake and ovarian cancer risk was observed (RR, top vs bottom quintile = 0.80; 95% CI, 0.60–1.07 [P = .03]), which was strongest for women who had never used either oral contraceptives (RR = 0.65; 95% CI, 0.46–0.92 [P for heterogeneity = .02]) or postmenopausal hormones (RR = 0.57; 95% CI, 0.36–0.91 [P for heterogeneity = .13]). Alcohol was not associated with ovarian cancer risk.

CONCLUSIONS

The results of the current study suggest that cigarette smoking may only increase the risk for mucinous ovarian tumors, and alcohol intake was not associated with risk. However, an inverse association was observed between caffeine intake and ovarian cancer risk, particularly in women not using hormones; this finding merits further study. Cancer 2008. © 2008 American Cancer Society.

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