Risk factors for endometrial cancer in Turkish women: Results from a hospital-based case–control study

Abstract 

Purpose of the research

The aim of this study was to investigate the association between risk factors and endometrial cancer in Turkish women.

Methods and sample

In a hospital-based case-control study conducted in İstanbul, 285 patients with histologically confirmed endometrial cancer were compared with 1050 controls, admitted to the different departments of the same hospital. Odds ratios (OR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) were obtained from multivariate logistic regression analysis, fitted by the method of maximum likelihood.

Key results

Risk factors for endometrial cancer were found to be the state of lower education (OR=2.53, 5% CI: 1.41–4.54), history of hypertension or diabetes (OR=3.26, 95% CI: 2.21–4.80), (OR=3.56, 95% CI: 2.02–6.27), lower parity (OR=3.89, 95% CI: 2.60–5.82), early menarche age (OR=9.43, 95% CI: 5.35–16.62) and HRT use (OR=2.66, 5% CI: 1.40–5.06).

Conclusions

In conclusion, our results are supportive of the hypothesis that having a history of chronic disease, lower parity, early menarche and use of HRT were increased-risk factors but negative family history of cancer was decreased-risk factor for endometrial cancer.

Keywords: Endometrial cancer, Risk factors, Body mass index, Smoking, Parity, Age at first birth, Oral contraceptive use, Family history of cancer