Perineal use of talc and risk of ovarian cancer
- 1The Cancer Registry of Norway, Institute of population-based Cancer Research, Oslo, Norway
- 2Channing Laboratory, Department of Medicine, Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
- 3Department of Social and Preventive Medicine, University of Montreal, Montreal, Canada
- 4Department of Medical Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden
- 5Samfundet Folkhälsan, Helsinki, Finland
- E Weiderpass, The Cancer Registry of Norway, 0310 Oslo, Norway; eliwei{at}ki.se
- Accepted 15 October 2007
Abstract
Ovarian cancer is one of the most common gynaecological neoplasms, especially in industrialised countries. The aetiology of the disease is not well understood, except that inherited mutations in the breast cancer genes BRCA-1 and BRCA-2 account for up to 10% of all cases,1 and child-bearing, oral contraceptive use and breast-feeding reduce the risk.2 Some environmental exposures, notably talc and asbestos, have been suspected as ovarian carcinogens.
Footnotes
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Funding: This study was financed by the Cancer Registry of Norway.
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Competing interests: None.
