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Harris HR, Davis CP, Terry KL. Epidemiologic Methods to Advance Our Understanding of Ovarian Cancer Risk. J Clin Oncol 2024; 42:2619-2621. [PMID: 38748943 DOI: 10.1200/jco.24.00602] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/20/2024] [Accepted: 03/26/2024] [Indexed: 07/31/2024] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Holly R Harris
- Program in Epidemiology, Division of Public Health Sciences, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center, Seattle, WA
- Department of Epidemiology, School of Public Health, University of Washington, Seattle, WA
| | - Colette P Davis
- Department of Public Health, University of West Florida, Pensacola, FL
| | - Kathryn L Terry
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Brigham and Women's Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA
- Boston Center for Endometriosis, Boston Children's Hospital and Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston, MA
- Department of Epidemiology, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA
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O'Brien KM, Wentzensen N, Ogunsina K, Weinberg CR, D'Aloisio AA, Edwards JK, Sandler DP. Intimate Care Products and Incidence of Hormone-Related Cancers: A Quantitative Bias Analysis. J Clin Oncol 2024; 42:2645-2659. [PMID: 38748950 DOI: 10.1200/jco.23.02037] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/18/2023] [Revised: 01/04/2024] [Accepted: 03/12/2024] [Indexed: 07/31/2024] Open
Abstract
PURPOSE Intimate care products may contain substances associated with increased risk of hormone-related cancers. The relationship between genital talc use and ovarian cancer, in particular, has been well studied, but concerns about recall bias and exposure misclassification have precluded conclusions. We examined the association between intimate care products and female hormone-related cancers, accounting for potential biases, using data from a US-based cohort study. METHODS The Sister Study enrolled 50,884 women who had a sister with breast cancer. Data on genital talc use and douching were collected at enrollment (2003-2009) and follow-up (2017-2019). We used Cox proportional hazards models to estimate hazard ratios (HRs) for associations between intimate care product use and breast, ovarian, and uterine cancers. To account for potential exposure misclassification and recall bias, we conducted quantitative bias analyses under various exposure reassignment assumptions. RESULTS Across considered scenarios, 41%-64% of participants douched and 35%-56% used genital talc. In models adjusted for exposure misclassification, genital talc use was positively associated with ovarian cancer (HR range, 1.17-3.34) Frequent douching and douching during young adulthood were positively associated with ovarian cancer, but neither douching nor talc was associated with breast or uterine cancer. Differential reporting of talc use by cases and noncases likely produces positive biases, but correcting for error still resulted in HRs above 1.0. For example, HR, 1.40 (95% CI, 1.04 to 1.89) when 25% of exposed cases and 10% of unexposed noncases had talc status reassigned. CONCLUSION Although results show how differential recall would upwardly bias estimates, corrected results support a positive association between use of intimate care products, including genital talc, and ovarian cancer.
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Affiliation(s)
- Katie M O'Brien
- Epidemiology Branch, National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, National Institutes of Health, Research Triangle Park, NC
| | - Nicolas Wentzensen
- Clinical Genetics Branch, Division of Cancer Epidemiology and Genetics, National Cancer Institute, Rockville, MD
| | - Kemi Ogunsina
- Epidemiology Branch, National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, National Institutes of Health, Research Triangle Park, NC
| | - Clarice R Weinberg
- Biostatistics and Computational Biology Branch, National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, National Institutes of Health, Research Triangle Park, NC
| | | | - Jessie K Edwards
- Department of Epidemiology, Gillings School of Global Public Health, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC
| | - Dale P Sandler
- Epidemiology Branch, National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, National Institutes of Health, Research Triangle Park, NC
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Boon D, Goodman JE, Colonna KJ, Espira LM, Prueitt RL. A systematic review of the epidemiology evidence on talc and cancer. Crit Rev Toxicol 2024; 54:394-417. [PMID: 38868996 DOI: 10.1080/10408444.2024.2351081] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/02/2024] [Accepted: 04/29/2024] [Indexed: 06/14/2024]
Abstract
Over the past several decades, there have been many epidemiology studies on talc and cancer published in the scientific literature, and several reviews and meta-analyses of talc and respiratory, female reproductive, and stomach cancers, specifically. To help provide a resource for the evaluation of talc as a potential human carcinogen, we applied a consistent set of examination methods and criteria for all epidemiology studies that examined the association between talc exposure (by various routes) and cancers (of various types). We identified 30 cohort, 35 case-control, and 12 pooled studies that evaluated occupational, medicinal, and personal-care product talc exposure and cancers of the respiratory system, the female reproductive tract, the gastrointestinal tract, the urinary system, the lymphohematopoietic system, the prostate, male genital organs, and the central nervous system, as well as skin, eye, bone, connective tissue, peritoneal, and breast cancers. We tabulated study characteristics, quality, and results in a systematic manner, and evaluated all cancer types for which studies of at least three unique populations were available in a narrative review. We focused on study quality aspects most likely to impact the interpretation of results. We found that only one study, of medicinal talc use, evaluated direct exposure measurements for any individuals, though some used semi-quantitative exposure metrics, and few studies adequately assessed potential confounders. The only consistent associations were with ovarian cancer in case-control studies and these associations were likely impacted by recall and potentially other biases. This systematic review indicates that epidemiology studies do not support a causal association between occupational, medicinal, or personal talc exposure and any cancer in humans.
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Chang CJ, O'Brien KM, Keil AP, Goldberg M, Taylor KW, Sandler DP, White AJ. Use of personal care product mixtures and incident hormone-sensitive cancers in the Sister Study: A U.S.-wide prospective cohort. ENVIRONMENT INTERNATIONAL 2024; 183:108298. [PMID: 38043324 PMCID: PMC10841676 DOI: 10.1016/j.envint.2023.108298] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/30/2023] [Revised: 07/28/2023] [Accepted: 10/30/2023] [Indexed: 12/05/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Personal care products (PCPs), a source of endocrine-disrupting chemical exposure, may be associated with the risk of hormone-sensitive cancers. Few studies have investigated associations for PCP use with the incidence of hormone-sensitive cancers or considered the joint effect of multiple correlated PCPs. We examined associations between frequently used, or "everyday", PCPs and incident cancers of the breast, ovary, and uterus with a fucus on the joint effect of multiple product exposure. METHODS Sister Study participants (n=49 899) self-reported frequency of use in the year before enrollment (2003-2009) for 41 PCPs. Using five-level frequency categories based on questionnaire options, hazard ratios (HRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were estimated for the associations between multiple PCP use and incident breast, ovarian, and uterine cancer using quantile-based g-computation with Cox proportional hazards regression as the underlying model. Multiple PCP use was examined using groupings (beauty, hygiene, and skincare products) determined by both a priori knowledge and Spearman correlation coefficients for co-occurring product use. Associations between individual PCPs and the three cancers were also examined using Cox proportional hazards models coupling with Benjamini-Hochberg procedure for multiple comparisons. RESULTS Over an average of 11.6 years, 4 226 breast, 277 ovarian, and 403 uterine cancer cases were identified. Positive associations were observed between the hygiene mixture and ovarian cancer (HR=1.35, 95%CI=1.00, 1.83) and the beauty mixture with postmenopausal breast cancer (HR=1.08, 95%CI=1.01, 1.16). Additionally, we observed an inverse association between the skincare mixture and breast cancer (HR=0.91, 95%CI=0.83, 0.99). No significant associations were observed for individual products after corrected for multiple comparison. CONCLUSIONS Findings from this multi-product, joint-effect approach contribute to the growing body of evidence for associations between PCPs and breast cancer and provides novel information on ovarian and uterine cancer.
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Affiliation(s)
- Che-Jung Chang
- Epidemiology Branch, National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, Research Triangle Park, NC, USA
| | - Katie M O'Brien
- Epidemiology Branch, National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, Research Triangle Park, NC, USA
| | - Alexander P Keil
- Occupational and Environmental Epidemiology Branch, National Cancer Institute, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - Mandy Goldberg
- Epidemiology Branch, National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, Research Triangle Park, NC, USA
| | - Kyla W Taylor
- National Toxicology Program, National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, Research Triangle Park, NC, USA
| | - Dale P Sandler
- Epidemiology Branch, National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, Research Triangle Park, NC, USA
| | - Alexandra J White
- Epidemiology Branch, National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, Research Triangle Park, NC, USA.
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Wentzensen N, O'Brien KM. Talc, body powder, and ovarian cancer: A summary of the epidemiologic evidence. Gynecol Oncol 2021; 163:199-208. [PMID: 34366148 DOI: 10.1016/j.ygyno.2021.07.032] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/11/2021] [Revised: 07/19/2021] [Accepted: 07/21/2021] [Indexed: 10/20/2022]
Abstract
Many women apply powder to the genital area as a drying agent. Talc, an inert mineral with a high capacity to absorb water, has historically been a major component of body powders. Due to its similarity and co-occurrence with asbestos, the association of body powder/talc use and gynecological cancer risk, specifically ovarian cancer risk, has been a long-standing research question. Retrospective case-control studies have shown associations between genital powder use and ovarian cancer risk, with summary relative risk estimates from meta-analyses and pooled analyses ranging from 1.24 to 1.35 for ever versus never use. In contrast, prospective cohort studies have not shown a statistically significant association until recently, when a pooled analysis of four large cohorts demonstrated a weak, but statistically significant association among women with patent reproductive tracts (hazard ratio 1.13). Taken together, the epidemiological data from case-control studies and cohort studies suggest that there may be a small, positive association between genital powder use and ovarian cancer. The causal factors underlying this association are not clear. Proposed factors include talc, other minerals, such as asbestos or quartz, that are known carcinogens and may contaminate talc products, or other powder ingredients that could cause inflammation of the reproductive tracts. Given the rarity of ovarian cancer in the general population, the small increase in relative risk translates to a very low increase in absolute risk. Further research is needed to understand the underpinnings of the observed association between genital powder use and ovarian cancer risk.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nicolas Wentzensen
- Division of Cancer Epidemiology and Genetics, National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health, Rockville, MD, United States of America.
| | - Katie M O'Brien
- Epidemiology Branch, National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, Research Triangle Park, NC, United States of America
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O’Brien KM, Weinberg CR, D’Aloisio AA, Moore KR, Sandler DP. The association between douching, genital talc use, and the risk of prevalent and incident cervical cancer. Sci Rep 2021; 11:14836. [PMID: 34290340 PMCID: PMC8295379 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-021-94447-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/29/2020] [Accepted: 06/25/2021] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
While human papillomavirus is the primary cause of cervical cancer, other factors may influence susceptibility and response to the virus. Candidates include douching and talcum powder applied in the genital area. We used Cox proportional hazards models to estimate confounder-adjusted hazard ratios (HRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) in the Sister Study (2003-2009), a US cohort of women aged 35-74. We considered pre-baseline (n = 523) and incident (n = 31) cervical cancers. Douching at ages 10-13 was positively associated with pre-baseline cervical cancer (HR 1.32, 95% CI 0.86-2.03), though the association was not statistically significant. We did not observe an association between adolescent talc use and pre-baseline cervical cancer (HR 0.95, 95% CI 0.76-1.19). Douching in the year before enrollment was positively associated with incident cervical cancer (HR 2.56, 95% CI 1.10-5.99). The association between recent genital talc use and incident cervical cancer was positive, but not statistically significant (HR 1.79, 95% CI 0.78-4.11). The observed positive association between douching and incident cervical cancer is consistent with previous retrospective case-control studies. In the first study to examine genital talc use and cervical cancer, we did not see evidence of an association.
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Affiliation(s)
- Katie M. O’Brien
- grid.280664.e0000 0001 2110 5790Epidemiology Branch, National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, 111 TW Alexander Dr., Research Triangle Park, NC 27709 USA
| | - Clarice R. Weinberg
- grid.280664.e0000 0001 2110 5790Biostatistics and Computational Biology Branch, National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, Research Triangle Park, NC USA
| | | | - Kristen R. Moore
- grid.280664.e0000 0001 2110 5790Epidemiology Branch, National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, 111 TW Alexander Dr., Research Triangle Park, NC 27709 USA
| | - Dale P. Sandler
- grid.280664.e0000 0001 2110 5790Epidemiology Branch, National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, 111 TW Alexander Dr., Research Triangle Park, NC 27709 USA
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