Teen Height, Weight Tied
to Ovarian Cancer Risk

Women who were tall and heavy during their teenage years appear to be more likely to develop ovarian cancer later in life, Norwegian researchers have found.

Height has been directly tied to the risk of a number of cancers, but its association with ovarian cancer has received little attention, according to a report published in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute. Moreover, previous studies have given conflicting results on a link between weight -- measured as body mass index (BMI) -- and ovarian cancer risk.

To clarify these questions, Dr. Anders Engeland, from the Norwegian Institute of Public Health in Oslo and a team of researchers analyzed data from approximately 1.1 million women who were followed for 25 years, on average. During the nearly 4-decade study period, 7882 confirmed cases of ovarian cancer were reported.

Adolescent BMI was a strong predictor of ovarian cancer risk. Women with adolescent BMIs in the top 15 percent of the population were 56 percent more likely to develop ovarian cancer than were average-weight women. In contrast, adult BMI did not affect the risk of ovarian cancer.

Height also predicted ovarian cancer risk for women younger than 60 years. For example, women who were175 cm or taller were 29% more likely to develop ovarian cancer than women who were between 160 and 164 cm.

SOURCE: Journal of the National Cancer Institute, August 20, 2003.

Reference Source 89

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