Hypertension a potential risk factor for endometrial cancer

Hypertension contributes to a 14-percent increased risk of endometrial cancer, irrespective of diabetes, BMI, and reproductive factors, according to a study.

Researchers examined hypertension as an independent risk factor for endometrial cancer and whether this association was modified by other established risk factors. The analysis included 15,631 women with endometrial cancer (case; mean age at diagnosis 63.3 years) and 42,239 women without the cancer (control). They were matched based on age, race, and study-specific factors from 29 studies in the Epidemiology of Endometrial Cancer Consortium.

Relative to the control group, the case group had a higher percentage of women with obesity (18.1 percent vs 12.2 percent) or severe obesity (18.1 percent vs 6.7 percent), an early age of menarche (<11 years; 7.0 percent vs 5.6 percent), nulliparity (17.5 percent vs 13.2 percent), and diabetes (12.0 percent vs. 6.8 percent). Cases were also less likely to ever use oral contraceptives (37.5 percent vs 42.6 percent), ever use postmenopausal hormone therapy (34.1 percent vs 37.8 percent), and be former (26.7 percent vs 29.0 percent) or current smokers (9.3 percent vs 14.4 percent).

Multivariable unconditional logistic regression models showed a positive association between hypertension and endometrial cancer (odds ratio, 1.14, 95 percent confidence interval, 1.09–1.19).

There was significant heterogeneity by study design, with a stronger magnitude of association observed in case–control than in cohort studies. Stronger associations were also observed for pre- or perimenopausal women and never users of postmenopausal hormone therapy.