Table 1. Prospective cohort studies of red and processed meat consumption and ovarian cancer.
| Study and location (follow-up) | Cases (cohort size) | Assessment of diet | Measure of exposure and range of exposure | RR (95% CI) | P for trend | Covariates | Quality (0–9) a |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Incidence | |||||||
| Kushi et al, 1999 United States (1986–1995) | 139 (29 083 postmenopausal women) | Baseline FFQ | Meats: 9–12 servings per week vs <9 servings per week 13–17 servings per week vs <9 servings per week >17 servings per week vs <9 servings per week | 1.18 (0.72–1.93)b 0.68 (0.37–1.24)b 1.60 (0.89–2.86)b | 0.38 | Age, energy intake, number of live births, age at menopause, family history of ovarian cancer, hysterectomy/unilateral oophorectomy, waist-to-hip ratio, physical activity, smoking, education | 6 |
| Bertone et al, 2002 United States (1980–1996) | 301 (80 258) | FFQs, 1980, 1984, 1986, 1990 | Hamburger: 1–3 servings per month vs <1 serving per month ⩾1 serving per week vs <1 serving per month Main dish of beef, pork, lamb: 1 serving per week vs <3 servings per month ⩾2 servings per week vs <3 servings per month | 1.09 (0.83–1.44) 0.86 (0.63–1.17) 1.17 (0.91–1.51) 1.30 (0.93–1.82) | 0.07 0.16 | Age, parity, energy intake, age at menarche, menopausal status, postmenopausal hormone use, tubal ligation, smoking | 5 |
| Larsson and Wolk, 2005 Sweden (1987–2004) | 288 (61 057) | FFQs, 1987, 1997 | Red meat: 2 to <3 servings per week vs <2 servings per week 3 to <4 servings per week vs <2 servings per week ⩾4 servings per week vs <2 servings per week Sausage: ⩾0.5 to <2 servings per week vs <0.5 servings per week ⩾2 servings per week vs <0.5 servings per week | 0.86 (0.62–1.21) 1.31 (0.94–1.82) 1.01 (0.70–1.46)b 1.09 (0.87–1.36)b 1.37 (0.83–2.24)b | 0.27 | Age, BMI, education, parity, use of oral contraceptives and postmenopausal hormones, energy intake, fruits, vegetables and dairy products | 8 |
| Kiani et al, 2006 United States, The Adventist Health Study (1976–1992) | 71 (13 281) | Baseline FFQ | Beef: >0 to <1 servings per week vs never ⩾1 servings per week vs never | 1.23 (0.67–2.25) 1.09 (0.50–2.38) | 0.94 | Age, parity, BMI, age at menopause, hormone replacement therapy | 6 |
| Cross et al, 2007 United States (1995–2003) | 552 (119 312) | Baseline FFQ | Red meat: 21.4 g per 1000 kcal vs 9.8 g per 1000 kcal 31.4 g per 1000 kcal vs 9.8 g per 1000 kcal 42.9 g per 1000 kcal vs 9.8 g per 1000 kcal 62.7 g per 1000 kcal vs 9.8 g per 1000 kcal Processed meat: 4.4 g per 1000 kcal vs 1.6 g per 1000 kcal 7.6 g per 1000 kcal vs 1.6 g per 1000 kcal 12.3 g per 1000 kcal vs 1.6 g per 1000 kcal 22.6 g per 1000 kcal vs 1.6 g per 1000 kcal | 1.20 (0.92–1.56) 0.97 (0.73–1.28) 1.09 (0.82–1.45) 1.19 (0.89–1.59) 1.14 (0.87–1.50) 1.21 (0.91–1.59) 1.13 (0.85–1.51) 1.23 (0.92–1.63) | 0.33 0.30 | Age, sex, education, marital status, BMI, family history of cancer, race, smoking, physical activity, energy intake, alcohol, fruit and vegetable consumption | 6 |
| Schulz et al, 2007 Europe (1992–2004) | 581 (325 731) | Baseline FFQ | Red meat: 25 to <35 g per day vs <25 g per day 35 to <44 g per day vs <25 g per day 44 to <55 vs <25 g per day ⩾55 g per day vs <25 g per day Processed meat: 17 to <26 g per day vs <17 g per day 26 to <33 g per day vs <17 g per day 33 to <42 g per day vs <17 g per day ⩾42 g per day vs <17 g per day | 1.22 (0.87–1.69) 1.13 (0.79–1.61) 1.13 (0.78–1.63) 1.04 (0.70–1.56) 0.98 (0.69–1.37) 1.10 (0.76–1.59) 1.09 (0.74–1.62) 1.25 (0.81–1.91) | 0.89 0.23 | BMI, parity, menopausal status, use of oral contraceptives, energy intake, education, smoking, unilateral ovariectomy, hormone replacement therapy | 6 |
| Gilsing et al, 2011 The Netherlands (1986–2002) | 340 (62 573 postmenopausal women, including 2161 subcohort members for case–cohort analysis) | Baseline FFQ | Fresh red meat: 61.3 g per day vs 36.2 g per day 77.9 g per day vs 36.2 g per day 95.6 g per day vs 36.2 g per day 129.6 g per day vs 36.2 g per day Processed meat: 2.7 g per day vs 0 g per day 6.8 g per day vs 0 g per day 13.0 g per day vs 0 g per day 25.6 g per day vs 0 g per day | 1.58 (1.08–2.30)b 1.47 (1.00–2.16)b 1.78 (1.23–2.58)b 0.93 (0.61–1.42)b 0.71 (0.49–1.03)b 0.91 (0.64–1.29)b 0.93 (0.65–1.31)b 0.83 (0.59–1.20)b | 0.85 0.74 | Age, energy intake, parity, use of oral contraceptives | 6 |
| Mortality | |||||||
| Sakauchi et al, 2007 Japan (1988–2003) | 77 (63 541) | Baseline FFQ | Pork: 1–2 times per week vs ⩽1–2 times per month ⩾3–4 times per week vs ⩽1–2 times per month Beef: 1–2 times per month vs seldom ⩾1–2 times per week vs seldom Ham and sausage: 1–2 times per week vs ⩽1–2 times per month ⩾3–4 times per week vs ⩽1–2 times per month | 1.26 (0.55–2.88)b 1.59 (0.62–4.08)b 1.06 (0.41–2.75)b 1.24 (0.50–3.05)b 0.73 (0.31–1.73)b 0.91 (0.30–2.76)b | 0.34 0.63 0.68 | Age, menopausal status, number of pregnancies, sex hormone use (oral contraceptives and hormone replacement therapy), BMI, physical activity, education | 6 |
Abbreviations: BMI=body mass index; CI=confidence interval; FFQ=food-frequency questionnaire; RR=relative risk.
a
Evaluated according to the Newcastle–Ottawa Scale (Wells et al, 2011).
b
Highest adjusted.