(10-12-05) Physical activity may protect against ovarian cancer

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Occupational and recreational physical activity may reduce the risk of ovarian cancer, results of a study published in the November issue of the International Journal of Cancer suggest.

A group of Canadian researchers conducted a population-based case-control study involving 442 women with histologically confirmed incident ovarian cancer and 2135 control subjects between the ages of 20 and 76 years. The participants completed questionnaires on the frequency and intensity of physical activity.

Women in the highest tertiles of moderate, vigorous, and total recreational activity had adjusted odds ratios for ovarian cancer of 0.67, 0.93, and 0.73, respectively, compared to those in the lowest tertile. Women with increasing levels of moderate and total recreational activity had significant trends of decreasing risk of ovarian cancer.
Similar patterns were observed for premenopausal and postmenopausal women.
The risk for serous, endometrioid, and other tumor types was significantly reduced with higher levels of moderate recreational activity, but the risk of mucinous tumors was not reduced.
"Women with jobs that required moderate or strenuous activity experienced a consistent reduction in ovarian cancer risk for all life periods compared to those who worked in sedentary occupations, with the effect being more evident for moderate than for strenuous activity," Dr. Sai Yi Pan and colleagues from the Centre for Chronic Disease Prevention and Control, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, explain.
The authors note that there are several possible biologic mechanisms for the protective effect of physical activity on ovarian cancer. Physical activity may mediate the levels of endogenous sexual and metabolic hormone and growth factors. In addition, the influence of physical activity on obesity may decrease the risk of ovarian cancer.
"Physical activity may also decrease ovarian cancer risk by reducing the number of lifetime ovulatory cycles and thus decreasing lifetime exposure to endogenous estrogens, which is supported by observations that intense physical activity in girls results in delayed menarche, anovulation, and amenorrhea," the team notes. "Other possible mechanisms include enhancement of the immune system and improvement of antioxidant defense systems."
Source : Int J Cancer 2005;117:300-307.

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