Skip to main content
Log in

Reproductive factors and risk of brain, colon, and other malignancies in Iowa (United States)

  • Research Papers
  • Published:
Cancer Causes & Control Aims and scope Submit manuscript

The influence of parity on the risk of cancers of the female breast and reproductive organs is well established. However, non-reproductive sites have received less attention. Mail questionnaire data gathered from incident female cases (169 brain; 332 colon; 260 rectal; 145 kidney; and 169 pancreas cancers), and 821 populationbased controls in Iowa (United States) were used to measure the effect of parity and age at first birth on risk of these malignancies. Relative to nulliparous women, ever-parous women were at significantly decreased risk of brain cancer (odds ratio [OR]=0.44, 95 percent confidence interval [CI]=0.3–0.7) and of colon cancer (OR=0.67, CI=0.5–0.97), after adjustment for age and other risk factors. The OR for the other sites did not differ significantly from 1.0. The lower risk of brain cancer among parous women was similar in younger and older age groups, in patients diagnosed with glioblastoma and astrocytoma, and among ever- and never-smokers. The findings for colon cancer are consistent with observations from other studies. In the context of limited laboratory and clinical evidence implicating hormones in brain neoplasia, these findings may suggest a role for hormonal factors in brain cancer etiology. Hormonal factors deserve more detailed future consideration as risk factors in brain cancer.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  1. Cantor KP, Lynch CF, Johnson D. Bladder cancer, parity, and age at first birth. Cancer Causes Control 1992, 3: 57–62.

    Google Scholar 

  2. Cancer Statistics Review: 1973–1989. Bethesda, MD: National Cancer Institute, 1992; NIH Pub. No. 92-2789.

  3. Paoletti P, Butti G, Zibera C, et al. Characteristics and biological role of steroid hormone receptors in neuroepithelial tumors. J Neurosurg 1990; 73: 736–40.

    Google Scholar 

  4. Francavilla A, Dileo A, Polimeno L. Nuclear and cytosolic estrogen receptors in human colon carcinoma and in surrounding noncancerous colonic tissue. Gastroenterology 1987; 93: 1301.

    Google Scholar 

  5. Sica V, Nola E, Contieri E, et al. Estradiol and progesterone receptors in malignant gastrointestinal tumors. Cancer Res 1984: 44: 4670–4.

    Google Scholar 

  6. Cox DR. The Analysis of Binary Data. London; Methuen, 1970: 14–19.

    Google Scholar 

  7. Dixon WJ, ed. BMDP Statistical Software. Berkeley, CA: University of California Press, 1983: 330–44.

    Google Scholar 

  8. LaVecchia C, Franceschi S. Reproductive factors and colorectal cancer. Cancer Causes Control 1991; 2: 193–200.

    Google Scholar 

  9. Plesko I, Preston-Martin S, Dau NE, Tzonou A, Dimitrova E. Parity and cancer risk in Slovakia. Int J Cancer 1985; 15: 529–33.

    Google Scholar 

  10. Green A, Beral V, Moser K. Mortality in women in relation to their childbearing history. Br Med J 1988; 297: 391–5.

    Google Scholar 

  11. Miller AB, Barclay THC, Choi NW, et al. A study of cancer, parity and age at first pregnancy. J Chron Dis 1980; 33: 595–605.

    Google Scholar 

  12. Lillienfeld AM, Levin ML, Kessler II. Mortality and marital status. In: Cancer in the United States. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press, 1972: 123–49.

    Google Scholar 

  13. Verzat C, Delisle M-B, Courriere P, Hollande E. Influence of host sex on the growth of a human glioblastoma line in athymic mice. Neuropathol Appl Neurobiol 1990; 16: 141–51.

    Google Scholar 

  14. Avtsyn AP, Yablonovskaya LY. Effects of disturbances in the hormonal status on experimental brain tumors. Acta Unio Internat Contra Cancrum 1964; 20: 1519–22.

    Google Scholar 

  15. Vaquero J, Marcos ML, Martinez R, Bravo G. Estrogenand progesterone-receptor proteins in intracranial tumors. Surg Neurol 1983; 19: 11–3.

    Google Scholar 

  16. Cahill DW, Bashirelahi N, Solomon LW, Dalton T, Salcman M, Ducker TB. Estrogen and progesterone receptors in meningiomas. J Neurosurg 1984; 60: 985–93.

    Google Scholar 

  17. Yu Z-Y, Wrange O, Haglund B, Granholm L, Gustafsson J. Estrogen and progestin receptors in intracranial meningiomas. J Steroid Biochem 1982; 16: 451–6.

    Google Scholar 

  18. Stojkovic RR, Jovancevic M, Santel DJ, Grcevic N, Gamulin S. Sex steroid receptors in intracranial tumors. Cancer 1990; 65: 1968–70.

    Google Scholar 

  19. Poisson M, Pertuiset BF, Hauw J-J, et al. Steroid hormone receptors in human meningiomas, gliomas, and brain metastases. J Neurooncol 1983; 1: 179–89.

    Google Scholar 

  20. Whittle IR, Hawkins RA, Miller JD. Sex hormone receptors in intracranial tumours and normal brain. Eur J Surg Oncol 1987; 13: 303–7.

    Google Scholar 

  21. Brentani MM, Lopes MTP, Martins VR, Plese JPP. Steroid receptors in intracranial tumors. Clin Neuropharmacol 1984; 7: 347–50.

    Google Scholar 

  22. Markwalder T-M, Zava DT, Markwalder RV. Sexual steroid hormone receptor assays in human astrocytomas (Letter). Surg Neurol 1983; 20: 263.

    Google Scholar 

  23. Schlehofer B, Blettner M, Wahrendorf J. Association between brain tumors and menopausal status. JNCI 1992; 84: 1346–9.

    Google Scholar 

  24. Ryan P, Lee MW, North JB, McMichael AJ. Risk factors for tumors of the brain and meninges: Results from the Adelaide adult brain tumor study. Int J Epidemiol 1992; 51: 20–7.

    Google Scholar 

  25. Gold E, Gordis L, Tonascia J, Szklo M. Risk factors for brain tumors in children. Am J Epidemiol 1979; 109: 309–9.

    Google Scholar 

  26. Emerson JC, Malone KE, Daling JR, Starzyk P. Childhood brain tumor risk in relation to birth characteristics. J Clin Epidemiol 1991; 44: 1159–66.

    Google Scholar 

  27. deVerdier MG, London S. Reproductive factors, exogenous female hormones, and colorectal cancer by subsite. Cancer Causes Control 1992; 3: 355–60.

    Google Scholar 

  28. Potter JD, McMichael AJ. Large bowel cancer in women in relation to reproductive and hormonal factors: A casecontrol study. JNCI 1983; 71: 703–9.

    Google Scholar 

  29. Howe GR, Craib KJP, Miller AB. Age at first pregnancy and risk of colorectal cancer: a case-control study. JNCI 1985; 74: 1155–9.

    Google Scholar 

  30. Peters RK, Pike MC, Chang WWL, Mack TM. Reproductive factors and colon cancers. Br J Cancer 1990; 61: 741–8.

    Google Scholar 

  31. Kvåle G, Heuch I. Is the incidence of colorectal cancer related to reproduction? A prospective study of 63,000 women. Int J Cancer 1991; 47: 390–5.

    Google Scholar 

  32. Chute CG, Willett WC, Colditz GA, Stampfer MJ, Rosner B, Speizer FE. A prospective study of reproductive history and exogenous estrogens on the risk of colorectal cancer in women. Epidemiology 1991; 2: 201–7.

    Google Scholar 

  33. Wu AH, Paganini-Hill A, Ross RK, Henderson BE. Alcohol, physical activity and other risk factors for colorectal cancer: A prospective study. Br J Cancer 1987; 55: 687–94.

    Google Scholar 

  34. Kune GA, Kune S, Watson LF. Children, age at first birth, and colorectal cancer risk. Am J Epidemiol 1989; 129: 533–42.

    Google Scholar 

  35. Davis FG, Furner SE, Persky V, Koch M. The influence of parity and exogenous female hormones on the risk of colorectal cancer. Int J Cancer 1989; 43: 587–90.

    Google Scholar 

  36. McCredie M, Stewart JH. Risk factors for kidney cancer in New South Wales, Australia: II. Urologic disease, hypertension, obesity, and hormonal factors. Cancer Causes Control 1992; 3: 323–31.

    Google Scholar 

  37. Lynch CF, Logsden-Sackett N, Edwards S, Cantor KP. The driver's license list as a population-based sampling frame. Am J Public Health 1993; (in press)

Download references

Authors

Additional information

Dr Cantor is with the Environmental Epidemiology Branch, National Cancer Institute, Bethesda, MD, USA. Dr Lynch and Ms Johnson are with the Department of Preventive Medicine and Environmental Health, University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA, USA. Address correspondence to Dr Cantor, Environmental Epidemiology Branch, National Cancer Institute, Executive Plaza North, Suite 443, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA. Supported in part by United States National Cancer Institute research contracts (NCI-NO1-CP-51026 and NCI NO1-CP-85614) and by a Public Health Service Preventive Oncology Academic Award (5 KO7 CA01181-05).

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Cantor, K.P., Lynch, C.F. & Johnson, D. Reproductive factors and risk of brain, colon, and other malignancies in Iowa (United States). Cancer Causes Control 4, 505–511 (1993). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00052425

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00052425

Key words

Navigation