Breastfeeding & Ovarian Cancer

Earlier this week I read the online article "Breastfeeding reduces ovarian cancer risk by 91%". I had breastfeed my daughter so I was interested in more details about the study. So I searched for the actual breastfeeding study in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition to learn more. Although I could not read the entire article I could read the abstract.

Just reading the title  Ovarian Cancer risk is reduced by prolonged lactation :a case controlled study in southern china hinted that the study might hold some surprises. I had wrongly assumed the study was done in Australia since the article I read reported the researchers were from Australia. There was no mention in the article that the study subjects were from  Guangzhou, Gunagdong Province in China.  Between August 2006 and July 2008  women were given a questionnaire and asked to recall how many months they breastfeed (lactated ) and how many children they breastfeed. The questionnaires were given to 493 women with ovarian cancer and 473 women in the control arm.  The mean age of the women was 59.

The Australian researchers found an  inverse relationship between breastfeeding and ovarian cancer risk and an inverse relationship between the number of children breastfeed and ovarian cancer risk. In other words the longer you breast feed the lower your ovarian cancer risk and the more children you breastfeed the lower your ovarian cancer risk. The researchers concluded "Prolonged lactation is associated with a lower risk of ovarian cancer in parous Chinese women."( Parous women are child bearing women.)  So the study's conclusion related to Chinese women, not Autralian, American or European women.

This study was a retrospective study. In these type of studies researchers ask participants to recall if they did or used something ( breastfeed, exercise, drink coffee, use a drug)  to determine if it was a factor in developing a disease or condition later in life. If you asked me today in 2013 how long I breastfeed my daughter back in 1982  I would not be able to give you an exact answer. Was it 6 months?  9 months? I don't think it was more than 12 months but I am not sure. So in this type of study patient recall can impact the results.

This study is interesting. But if we repeat the study in the US would we get the same results? The original article I read did not mention other studies to support the results of the Australian study but did note the benefit of  breastfeeding to lower their risk of ovarian cancer.

Well, I did some research and back in 2007 the study "Breastfeeding and risk of ovarian cancer in two prospective cohorts."was published.  The results are part of the Nurses Health Study  and was a prospective study. A prospective study starts out with a healthy population with certain characteristics ( like having breastfeed) and the subjects are followed over time to see if a particular disease develops. This study concluded that there was no significant reduction in risk of ovarian cancer  in women who ever breastfeed or  never breastfeed.  But women who breastfeed 18 months or longer did show a significant reduction in risk for epithelial ovarian cancer.The average length of breastfeeding in this study was 9 months.

The conclusion of both studies is about increased risk of developing the disease. This Women's Cancer Network page does a nice job of explaining ovarian cancer risk.  The average woman's risk of developing ovarian cancer is 1 in 70.

I enjoy reading articles about cancer research studies and the related journal abstracts but sometimes find it frustrating that crucial details about the studies are often missing from media accounts.

Dee
Every Day is a Blessing !

Did You Know You Can Prevent Cervical Cancer?

Poster from Women's Cancer Network

This month is Cervical Cancer Screening month in the United States.

Every woman can prevent cervical cancer by:

Getting regular PAP tests

Getting the HPV vaccine

Having the HPV test if recommended by your Physician

Want to learn more about cervical cancer? Please visit Tamika and Friends a national non-profit founded by Tamika Felder. I met Tamika in 2006. She is a cervical cancer survivor and a dynamic advocate who is raising awareness of cervical cancer and the link between the Human Papilloma virus and cervical cancer. Thanks Tamika for all that you do.

Dee

Every Day is a Blessing !

For Jo - Not Just Ovaries

Yesterday, Jo, passed away from cervical cancer. Jo was one of my long distance British friends.

I started reading Jo's blog , Life in Windermere ( http://lifeinwindermere.blogspot.com/) a few years ago. I was lucky to get to know Jo, her husband, son, soccer and The Royal Marsden Cancer Center even better through a group on Facebook. She was the cervical cancer survivor of the group and had been in remission for a few years until it recurred in 2010. (Thank you Sandhy for inviting Jo to be part of our little group.) I will miss how Jo, even in the midst of treatment or traveling to London, would always know just what to say to calm down one of her online teal sisters.

It doesn't matter if you live in the US or in the UK, countless women and their families are impacted by gynecologic cancers every day. And it is not just about ovarian cancer. Do you know the other gynecologic cancers?

Cervical Cancer

Endometrial Cancer

Primary Peritoneal

Fallopian Tube Cancer

Uterine Cancer

Vaginal Cancer

Vulvar Cancer

The Women's Cancer Network website is a wealth of information about ovarian and these other gynecologic cancers. For 20 years the The Foundation for Women's Cancer ( Formerly the Gynecologic Cancer Foundation) has increased awareness, offered education and funded research of gynecologic cancers. They also provide women with the opportunity to learn more about ovarian and endometrial cancers through their Survivor's Courses. On November 6,2011 in Washington DC the Foundation will be hosting The National Race to End Women's Cancer an 8K and 1 mile run to raise awareness and funds for research. On November 5th the foundation also will host ovarian, uterine and HPV/ cervical courses.

Dee

Every Day is a Blessing! Thank you Jo for being one of those blessings!