Cookies on this website

We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. If you click 'Accept all cookies' we'll assume that you are happy to receive all cookies and you won't see this message again. If you click 'Reject all non-essential cookies' only necessary cookies providing core functionality such as security, network management, and accessibility will be enabled. Click 'Find out more' for information on how to change your cookie settings.

Oral contraceptive use and reproductive factors may initiate long-term changes to the hormonal milieu and thereby, possibly influence colorectal cancer risk.We examined the association of hormonal and reproductive factors with risk of colorectal cancer among 337,802 women in the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition, of whom 1878 developed colorectal cancer.After stratification for center and age, and adjustment for body mass index, smoking, diabetes mellitus, physical activity and alcohol consumption, ever use of oral contraceptives was marginally inversely associated with colorectal cancer risk (hazard ratio (HR), 0.92; 95% confidence interval (CI), 0.83-1.02), although this association was stronger among post-menopausal women (HR, 0.84; 95% CI: 0.74-0.95). Duration of oral contraceptive use and reproductive factors, including age at menarche, age at menopause, type of menopause, ever having an abortion, parity, age at first full-term pregnancy and breastfeeding, were not associated with colorectal cancer risk.Our findings provide limited support for a potential inverse association between oral contraceptives and colorectal cancer risk.

Original publication

DOI

10.1038/sj.bjc.6605965

Type

Journal article

Journal

British journal of cancer

Publication Date

02/11/2010

Volume

103

Pages

1755 - 1759

Addresses

Cancer Epidemiology Unit, Nuffield Department of Clinical Medicine, University of Oxford, Richard Doll Building, Roosevelt Drive, OX3 7LF Oxford, UK. kostas.tsilidis@ceu.ox.ac.uk

Keywords

Humans, Colorectal Neoplasms, Contraceptives, Oral, Risk, Prospective Studies, Reproduction, Adult, Aged, Middle Aged, Female