Jessica L. Petrick

Regular Physical Inactivity and Ovarian Cancer Risk in the Ovarian Cancer in Women of African Ancestry Consortium

Abstract Background: Regular physical inactivity may increase ovarian cancer risk, but few studies have investigated whether this association is similar among Black and White women. Methods: In a pooled nested case–control study within the Ovarian Cancer in Women of African Ancestry consortium, logistic regression models evaluated regular recreational physical inactivity with risk of epithelial ovarian cancer among Black (223 cases; 1,472 controls) and White women (985 cases; 6,212 controls) enrolled in four cohort studies. Models were further stratified by histologic type. Results: Regular physical inactivity was not associated with the risk of overall ovarian cancer among Black [OR = 1.16; 95% confidence interval (CI), 0.83–1.61] or White women (OR = 1.03; 95% CI, 0.87–1.23). We did not detect associations according to histologic type. Conclusions: Physical inactivity was not associated with ovarian cancer among Black or White women in a consortium of cohort studies. Impact: These results are counter to case–control-based studies and emphasize the complexity of investigating physical activity prospectively.

Fiber and whole grain intakes in relation to liver cancer risk: An analysis in 2 prospective cohorts and systematic review and meta-analysis of prospective studies

Background and Aims: The association between fiber or whole grain intakes and the risk of liver cancer remains unclear. We assessed the associations between fiber or whole grain intakes and liver cancer risk among 2 prospective studies, and systematically reviewed and meta-analyzed these results with published prospective studies. Approach and Results: A total of 111,396 participants from the Prostate, Lung, Colorectal, and Ovarian Cancer Screening Trial (PLCO) and 26,085 men from the Alpha-Tocopherol, Beta-Carotene Cancer Prevention Study were included. Intakes of total fiber and whole grains were estimated from validated food frequency questionnaires. Study-specific HRs and 95% CI with liver cancer risk were estimated using multivariable-adjusted Cox regression. We systematically reviewed existing literature, and studies were combined in a dose-response meta-analysis. A total of 277 (median follow-up = 15.6 y) and 165 (median follow-up = 16.0 y) cases of liver cancer were observed in Prostate, Lung, Colorectal, and Ovarian Cancer Screening Trial and Alpha-Tocopherol, Beta-Carotene Cancer Prevention Study, respectively. Dietary fiber was inversely associated with liver cancer risk in Prostate, Lung, Colorectal, and Ovarian Cancer Screening Trial (HR10g/day: 0.69; 95% CI: 0.55–0.86). No significant associations were observed between whole grain intakes and liver cancer risk in either study. Our meta-analysis included 2383 incident liver cancer cases (7 prospective cohorts) for fiber intake and 1523 cases (5 prospective cohorts) for whole grain intake; combined HRs for liver cancer risk were 0.83 (0.76–0.91) per 10 g/day of fiber and 0.92 (0.85–0.99) per 16 g/day (1 serving) of whole grains. Conclusions: Dietary fiber and whole grains were inversely associated with liver cancer risk. Further research exploring potential mechanisms and different fiber types is needed.

Menopausal hormone therapy use and risk of ovarian cancer by race: the ovarian cancer in women of African ancestry consortium

Most studies examining post-menopausal menopausal hormone therapy (MHT) use and ovarian cancer risk have focused on White women and few have included Black women. We evaluated MHT use and ovarian cancer risk in Black (n = 800 cases, 1783 controls) and White women (n = 2710 cases, 8556 controls), using data from the Ovarian Cancer in Women of African Ancestry consortium. Logistic regression was used to estimate odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for the association of MHT use with ovarian cancer risk, examining histotype, MHT type and duration of use. Long-term MHT use, ≥10 years, was associated with an increased ovarian cancer risk for White women (OR = 1.38, 95%CI: 1.22-1.57) and the association was consistent for Black women (OR = 1.20, 95%CI: 0.81-1.78, p The association between long-term MHT use and ovarian cancer risk was consistent for Black and White women.