Diabetes and endometrial cancer: an evaluation of the modifying effects of other known risk factors

Am J Epidemiol. 2008 Mar 1;167(5):607-14. doi: 10.1093/aje/kwm333. Epub 2007 Dec 10.

Abstract

To determine whether risk of endometrial cancer among women with type 2 diabetes differs with respect to other endometrial cancer risk factors, the authors used data from a population-based case-control study (1,303 cases and 1,779 controls) conducted in western Washington State during 1985-1999. History of type 2 diabetes was associated with endometrial cancer (odds ratio (OR) = 1.7, 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.2, 2.3), more strongly among women with a recent diabetes diagnosis (<5 years) (OR = 2.6, CI: 1.5, 4.7) than among those with a more distant diagnosis (> or =5 years) (OR = 1.3, CI: 0.8, 1.9). Type 2 diabetes was associated with endometrial cancer among women with a body mass index (BMI) (weight (kg)/height (m)(2)) less than 35 but not among women with a BMI of 35 or more. The observed associations persisted after finer adjustment for BMI to control for residual confounding. History of diabetes was associated with a twofold increased risk of endometrial cancer among hypertensive women, but no association was observed among nonhypertensive women. The risk associated with type 2 diabetes appeared not to vary greatly with respect to other endometrial cancer risk factors. These results support the hypothesis that type 2 diabetes is associated with endometrial cancer irrespective of the presence of other risk factors for this disease, except possibly hypertension and extreme obesity.

Publication types

  • Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural

MeSH terms

  • Adiposity
  • Aged
  • Body Mass Index
  • Case-Control Studies
  • Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2 / complications
  • Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2 / epidemiology*
  • Endometrial Neoplasms / complications*
  • Endometrial Neoplasms / epidemiology
  • Female
  • Humans
  • Incidence
  • Insulin
  • Interviews as Topic
  • Middle Aged
  • Obesity
  • Population Surveillance
  • Risk Assessment*
  • Risk Factors
  • Washington / epidemiology

Substances

  • Insulin