Ovary removal may increase lung cancer risk

	Tweet

Women who have premature menopause because of medical interventions are at an increased risk of developing lung cancer, according to a new study published in the International Journal of Cancer. The startling link was made by epidemiologists from the Université de Montréal, the Research Centre of the Centre Hospitalier de l’Université de Montréal and the INRS—Institut Armand-Frappier.

“We found that women who experienced non-natural menopause are at almost twice the risk of developing lung cancer compared to women who experienced natural menopause,” says Anita Koushik, a researcher at the Université de Montréal’s Department of Social and Preventive Medicine and a scientist at the Research Centre of the Centre Hospitalier de l’Université de Montréal. “This increased risk of lung cancer was particularly observed among women who had non-natural menopause by having had both their ovaries surgically removed.”

The scientists studied 422 women with lung cancer and 577 control subjects at 18 hospitals across Montreal, Quebec, Canada. They assessed socio-demographic characteristics, residential history, occupational exposures, medical and smoking history, and (among women) menstruation and pregnancy histories.

"A major strength of this study was the detailed smoking information which we obtained from all study participants; this is important because of the role of smoking in lung cancer and because smokers generally have lower estrogen levels than non-smokers,” says Dr. Koushik. “Although smoking is the dominant cause of lung cancer, we know other factors can play an important role in enhancing the impact of tobacco carcinogens; this research suggests that in women hormonal factors may play such a role.”

Women were considered menopausal if their menstrual periods had stopped naturally, surgically (by hysterectomy with bilateral surgical ovary removal) or because of radiation or chemotherapy. Women who had at least one remaining ovary and who still had their menstrual periods at the time of diagnosis/interview were classified as premenopausal. Among participants with natural menopause, the median age for attaining menopause was 50 years old; among those with non-natural menopause, it was at 43 years.

“Non-natural menopause, particularly surgical menopause, may represent an increased risk with younger age at menopause given that surgery is usually done before natural menopause occurs. It’s possible that vulnerability to lung cancer is caused by early and sudden decrease in estrogen levels or potentially long-term use of hormone replacement therapy and further research is needed to explore these hypotheses,” says Jack Siemiatycki a professor at the Université de Montréal’s Department of Social and Preventive Medicine and a scientist at the Research Centre of the Centre Hospitalier de l’Université de Montréal.

###

About the Study:
The article “Characteristics of menstruation and pregnancy and the risk of lung cancer in women,” published in the International Journal of Cancer, was authored by Anita Koushik and Jack Siemiatycki of the Université de Montréal and Research Centre of the Centre Hospitalier de l’Université de Montréal and Marie-Elise Parent of the INRS—Institut Armand-Frappier.

Partners in Research:
This study was funded by the Canadian Institutes of Health Research, the Fonds de la recherche en santé du Québec and the Guzzo-SRC Chair in Environment and Cancer.

On the Web:
About cited article from International Journal of Cancer: http://www3.interscience.wiley.com/cgi-bin/fulltext/122380525/PDFSTART
About the Université de Montréal: http://ww.umontreal.ca/english
About the Research Centre of the Centre Hospitalier de l’Université de Montréal: http://www.chumtl.qc.ca/crchum.en.html
About the Environmental Epidemiology and Population Health Research Group: http://www.environepi.ca/
About INRS—Institut Armand-Frappier: http://www.iaf.inrs.ca/anglais/centre_bref.html

Lucie Dufresne
Communication Advisor
Centre hospitalier de l’Université de Montréal
Telephone: 514- 890-8000, extension 15380
Pager: 514-860-7110

Contact: Sylvain-Jacques Desjardins

514-343-7593
University of Montreal

RELATED STORIES:
Ovary removal may raise risk of lung cancer   Guide on Lung Cancer in “Never-smokers”: a Different Disease and Different Treatments   Micro-RNA determines malignancy of lung cancer   Age no bar to benefits of lung cancer chemo   Gene Expression Profiling Advance for Lung Cancer Prognosis   Gene fusion in lung cancer afflicting never-smokers may be target for therapy   New lung cancer research finds half of advanced lung cancer patients receive chemotherapy   Narrow-band imaging increases specificity of early lung cancer detection   Heaviest Smokers Face Greatest Risk of Death After Lung Cancer Diagnosis   Red Wine May Lower Lung Cancer Risk   Drug fights tumors in advanced lung cancer   Gene variations directly link inflammation to an increased risk for lung cancer   Cigar, pipe smoking may raise lung disease risk, too   Benefits of surgery for lung cancer unclear   Inhaler treatment for lung cancer   Cancer immunotherapy shows long-term promise in lung cancer   Mutation database helps personalized treatment of lung cancer   Elderly Dutch lung patients’ survival improved by new treatment options between 2003-2009   Reduced lung function tied to lung cancer risk   Small Steps Toward Lung Cancer Relief   Lung cancer risk increases with expression of specific genes   Non-Surgical Treatment Gives Lung Cancer Patients Three Years or More

Comments

[ + Post Your Own ]

Now you're in the public comment zone. What follows is not Armenian Medical Network's stuff; it comes from other people and we don't vouch for it. A reminder: By using this Web site you agree to accept our Terms of Service. Click here to read the Rules of Engagement.

There are no comments for this entry yet. [ + Comment here + ]