Physical activity and risk of endometrial cancer: an Italian case-control study

Most epidemiological studies on the relationship between physical activity and endometrial cancer found risk reductions of about 25-30% among most active women, but results were not consistent among studies. A multicentric case-control study was conducted in Italy between 1992 and 2006. Cases were 454 women with incident, histologically confirmed endometrial cancer and controls were 908 women admitted to hospital for acute non-neoplastic, nonhormonal conditions. Multivariate odds ratios (ORs) and the corresponding 95% confidence intervals were obtained after allowance for major potential confounding factors. The ORs of endometrial cancer for women in the highest level of occupational physical activity (compared with the lowest) were 1.69, 1.33, 1.17 and 0.82, respectively, at ages 12, 15-19, 30-39 and 50-59 years, with no trend in risk at any age. The corresponding ORs for leisure-time physical activity were 0.82, 0.78, 1.12 and 0.97. The risk of endometrial cancer for each level of occupational physical activity at age 30-39 years was not significantly heterogeneous across strata of age at diagnosis, body mass index, menopausal status and education. These findings do not support a strong relationship between physical activity and endometrial cancer risk.