Reproductive Factors and Colon Cancer Risk
Author Information
Author(s): R.K. Peters, M.C. Pike, W.W.L. Chang, T.M. Mack
Primary Institution: University of Southern California School of Medicine
Hypothesis
Do menstrual and reproductive factors influence the risk of colon cancer in women?
Conclusion
The study found that having been pregnant is protective against colon cancer, with a U-shaped relationship between the number of pregnancies and risk.
Supporting Evidence
- Pregnancy was found to have a protective effect against colon cancer.
- The risk of colon cancer decreased with the number of pregnancies up to four.
- The relationship between pregnancies and colon cancer risk was U-shaped.
- Delayed natural menopause was weakly protective for proximal colon cancer.
Takeaway
Having babies might help protect women from colon cancer, but having too many could actually increase the risk.
Methodology
A population-based case-control study involving 327 white women with adenocarcinoma of the colon and matched controls.
Potential Biases
Recall bias is minimized as both cases and controls were interviewed in the same manner.
Limitations
The study was limited to white women and may not be generalizable to other populations.
Participant Demographics
All participants were English-speaking white women aged 45 to 70.
Statistical Information
P-Value
0.0007
Confidence Interval
0.33-0.97
Statistical Significance
p<0.05
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