The total duration of 'ovulatory activity' or 'ovulatory age' has been reported to be the strongest indicator of the risk of ovarian cancer. In the case-control study examined in this paper this variable was found to be a strong correlate of the risk of ovarian cancer. However, the finding that in older women the major determinant of 'ovulatory age' was age at menopause (which is a very unreliable indicator of 'ovarian activity'), and that age at menopause by itself was related to the risk of ovarian cancer as strongly as the total duration of ovulatory age, threw doubt on the biological consistency of that model. Furthermore, the protection conferred by pregnancies was different at different ages, and age at first pregnancy was more strongly associated with the risk of ovarian cancer than the actual number of pregnancies. The model of carcinogenesis for epithelial ovarian cancer appears, therefore, to be more complex than is indicated simply by the total duration of 'ovarian activity.'

Incessant ovulation and ovarian cancer: a critical approach / C. La Vecchia, S. Franceschi, G. Gallus, A. Decarli, A. Liberati, G. Tognoni. - In: INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF EPIDEMIOLOGY. - ISSN 0300-5771. - 12:2(1983 Jun), pp. 161-164.

Incessant ovulation and ovarian cancer: a critical approach

C. La Vecchia
Primo
;
A. Decarli;
1983

Abstract

The total duration of 'ovulatory activity' or 'ovulatory age' has been reported to be the strongest indicator of the risk of ovarian cancer. In the case-control study examined in this paper this variable was found to be a strong correlate of the risk of ovarian cancer. However, the finding that in older women the major determinant of 'ovulatory age' was age at menopause (which is a very unreliable indicator of 'ovarian activity'), and that age at menopause by itself was related to the risk of ovarian cancer as strongly as the total duration of ovulatory age, threw doubt on the biological consistency of that model. Furthermore, the protection conferred by pregnancies was different at different ages, and age at first pregnancy was more strongly associated with the risk of ovarian cancer than the actual number of pregnancies. The model of carcinogenesis for epithelial ovarian cancer appears, therefore, to be more complex than is indicated simply by the total duration of 'ovarian activity.'
Parity; Age Factors; Ovarian Neoplasms; Ovulation; Maternal Age; Humans; Adult; Middle Aged; Menopause; Female; Pregnancy; Carcinoma
Settore MED/01 - Statistica Medica
giu-1983
Article (author)
File in questo prodotto:
Non ci sono file associati a questo prodotto.
Pubblicazioni consigliate

I documenti in IRIS sono protetti da copyright e tutti i diritti sono riservati, salvo diversa indicazione.

Utilizza questo identificativo per citare o creare un link a questo documento: https://hdl.handle.net/2434/187214
Citazioni
  • ???jsp.display-item.citation.pmc??? 8
  • Scopus 60
  • ???jsp.display-item.citation.isi??? 55
social impact