Reproductive factors in relation to incidence of lung and colorectal cancers in a Norwegian women cohort: the HUNT Study

Abstract

Context: The roles of reproductive factors in the etiology of lung and colorectal cancers, among the most common cancers in women, are unclear. Objective: We aimed to explore whether female reproductive factors were associated with the incidence of lung and colorectal cancers. Methods: We followed up 33 314 cancer-free women who participated in the HUNT Study in Norway from 1995-1997 to 2018. A large panel of reproductive factors were self-reported at baseline. Incident lung and colorectal cancer cases were ascertained from the Cancer Registry of Norway. Cox regression models were used to estimate hazard ratios (HRs) with 95% CIs after adjustment for important confounders. Results: During a median follow-up interval of 22.2 years, 467 women developed lung cancer (including 169 lung adenocarcinoma), 660 developed colon cancer, and 211 had rectal cancer. Early menarche (≤12 years) was associated with an increased incidence of lung adenocarcinoma (HR 1.43; 95% CI, 1.02-2.03). Women with one or no child had an increased colon cancer incidence (HR 1.26; 95% CI, 1.03- 1.54). Hormone therapy appeared to be associated with a decreased incidence of rectal cancer (HR 0.68; 95% CI, 0.44-1.04). Results in the subgroup of postmenopausal women were similar or strengthened. Other reproductive factors were not related to the risk of lung, colon, and rectal cancers. Conclusion: Certain reproductive factors might play a role in the etiology of lung and colorectal cancers. Further investigations are warranted to study if they are causal associations.