Skip to main content
NCBI home page
British Journal of Cancer logoLink to British Journal of Cancer
. 1993 Apr;67(4):846–851. doi: 10.1038/bjc.1993.155

Selected physical activities and the risk of endometrial cancer.

F Levi 1, C La Vecchia 1, E Negri 1, S Franceschi 1
PMCID: PMC1968358  PMID: 8471444

Abstract

The relationship between various indicators of physical activity and endometrial cancer risk was analysed using data of a case-control study conducted in 1988-1991 in Switzerland and Italy on 274 histologically confirmed cases and 572 controls admitted to hospital for acute, non neoplastic, non hormone-related diseases. Using a self-rated assessment of total physical activity, there was a systematic tendency for the cases to report more frequently 'low' or 'very low' physical activity. The relative risks were similar for 'very high' or 'moderately high' physical activity, but increased in the two lowest levels, with point estimates, in various decades of age, between 1.3 and 2.3 for 'moderately low' and over 2.5 for 'very low' physical activity. Although the association was apparently stronger at older ages, all the trends in risk were significant. Allowance for major identified potential distorting factors, including body mass index and a measure of total energy intake, could explain only in part the association, and the inverse trends in risk remained statistically significant. When selected types of physical activity were analysed, no association was observed with climbing stairs or walking, but the risk estimates for the lowest level of activity was over 4 for housework, and between 1.5 and 1.9 for sport and leisure and occupational activity. Thus, the present findings suggest that a moderate or high physical activity is an indicator of reduced endometrial cancer risk, although this observation still requires epidemiologic confirmation and clearer definition from a pathogenic point of view.

Full text

PDF
846

Selected References

These references are in PubMed. This may not be the complete list of references from this article.

  1. Albanes D., Blair A., Taylor P. R. Physical activity and risk of cancer in the NHANES I population. Am J Public Health. 1989 Jun;79(6):744–750. doi: 10.2105/ajph.79.6.744. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  2. Ballard-Barbash R., Schatzkin A., Albanes D., Schiffman M. H., Kreger B. E., Kannel W. B., Anderson K. M., Helsel W. E. Physical activity and risk of large bowel cancer in the Framingham Study. Cancer Res. 1990 Jun 15;50(12):3610–3613. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  3. Caspersen C. J., Bloemberg B. P., Saris W. H., Merritt R. K., Kromhout D. The prevalence of selected physical activities and their relation with coronary heart disease risk factors in elderly men: the Zutphen Study, 1985. Am J Epidemiol. 1991 Jun 1;133(11):1078–1092. doi: 10.1093/oxfordjournals.aje.a115821. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  4. Cauley J. A., Gutai J. P., Kuller L. H., LeDonne D., Powell J. G. The epidemiology of serum sex hormones in postmenopausal women. Am J Epidemiol. 1989 Jun;129(6):1120–1131. doi: 10.1093/oxfordjournals.aje.a115234. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  5. Frisch R. E., Gotz-Welbergen A. V., McArthur J. W., Albright T., Witschi J., Bullen B., Birnholz J., Reed R. B., Hermann H. Delayed menarche and amenorrhea of college athletes in relation to age of onset of training. JAMA. 1981 Oct 2;246(14):1559–1563. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  6. Frisch R. E., Wyshak G., Albright N. L., Albright T. E., Schiff I., Jones K. P., Witschi J., Shiang E., Koff E., Marguglio M. Lower prevalence of breast cancer and cancers of the reproductive system among former college athletes compared to non-athletes. Br J Cancer. 1985 Dec;52(6):885–891. doi: 10.1038/bjc.1985.273. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  7. Frisch R. E., Wyshak G., Albright N. L., Albright T. E., Schiff I., Witschi J., Marguglio M. Lower lifetime occurrence of breast cancer and cancers of the reproductive system among former college athletes. Am J Clin Nutr. 1987 Jan;45(1 Suppl):328–335. doi: 10.1093/ajcn/45.1.328. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  8. Frisch R. E., Wyshak G., Vincent L. Delayed menarche and amenorrhea in ballet dancers. N Engl J Med. 1980 Jul 3;303(1):17–19. doi: 10.1056/NEJM198007033030105. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  9. Garfinkel L., Stellman S. D. Mortality by relative weight and exercise. Cancer. 1988 Oct 15;62(8 Suppl):1844–1850. doi: 10.1002/1097-0142(19881015)62:1+<1844::aid-cncr2820621328>3.0.co;2-o. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  10. Helmrich S. P., Ragland D. R., Leung R. W., Paffenbarger R. S., Jr Physical activity and reduced occurrence of non-insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus. N Engl J Med. 1991 Jul 18;325(3):147–152. doi: 10.1056/NEJM199107183250302. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  11. La Vecchia C. Nutritional factors and cancers of the breast, endometrium and ovary. Eur J Cancer Clin Oncol. 1989 Dec;25(12):1945–1951. doi: 10.1016/0277-5379(89)90376-3. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  12. Levi F., La Vecchia C., Negri E., Parazzini F., Franceschi S. Body mass at different ages and subsequent endometrial cancer risk. Int J Cancer. 1992 Feb 20;50(4):567–571. doi: 10.1002/ijc.2910500413. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  13. MANTEL N., HAENSZEL W. Statistical aspects of the analysis of data from retrospective studies of disease. J Natl Cancer Inst. 1959 Apr;22(4):719–748. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  14. Morris J. N., Chave S. P., Adam C., Sirey C., Epstein L., Sheehan D. J. Vigorous exercise in leisure-time and the incidence of coronary heart-disease. Lancet. 1973 Feb 17;1(7799):333–339. doi: 10.1016/s0140-6736(73)90128-1. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  15. Paffenbarger R. S., Hale W. E. Work activity and coronary heart mortality. N Engl J Med. 1975 Mar 13;292(11):545–550. doi: 10.1056/NEJM197503132921101. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  16. Paffenbarger R. S., Jr, Wing A. L., Hyde R. T. Physical activity as an index of heart attack risk in college alumni. Am J Epidemiol. 1978 Sep;108(3):161–175. doi: 10.1093/oxfordjournals.aje.a112608. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  17. Schechtman K. B., Barzilai B., Rost K., Fisher E. B., Jr Measuring physical activity with a single question. Am J Public Health. 1991 Jun;81(6):771–773. doi: 10.2105/ajph.81.6.771. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  18. Seidell J. C., Cigolini M., Deslypere J. P., Charzewska J., Ellsinger B. M., Cruz A. Body fat distribution in relation to physical activity and smoking habits in 38-year-old European men. The European Fat Distribution Study. Am J Epidemiol. 1991 Feb 1;133(3):257–265. doi: 10.1093/oxfordjournals.aje.a115870. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  19. Washburn R. A., Montoye H. J. The assessment of physical activity by questionnaire. Am J Epidemiol. 1986 Apr;123(4):563–576. doi: 10.1093/oxfordjournals.aje.a114277. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  20. Whittemore A. S., Wu-Williams A. H., Lee M., Zheng S., Gallagher R. P., Jiao D. A., Zhou L., Wang X. H., Chen K., Jung D. Diet, physical activity, and colorectal cancer among Chinese in North America and China. J Natl Cancer Inst. 1990 Jun 6;82(11):915–926. doi: 10.1093/jnci/82.11.915. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]

Articles from British Journal of Cancer are provided here courtesy of Cancer Research UK

RESOURCES