Occupation and ovarian cancer: a case-control study in the Washington, DC, metropolitan area, 1978-1981

Ovarian cancer risk factors may be genetic, reproductive, or hormonal in nature. Occupational exposure to talc and other carcinogenic substances has not been studied in relation to ovarian cancer risk. We therefore examined the job histories of 296 women aged 20 to 79 who were diagnosed with epithelial ovarian cancer in the Washington, DC area in 1978 to 1981, comparing them to 343 hospital controls, matched for age and race. A blind exposure assessment, evaluating each job/industry combination for potential exposure to talc, ionizing radiation, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, and solvents was conducted by an industrial hygienist blind to case-control status. Women exposed to talc had a relative risk of ovarian cancer below the null, but the confidence interval was wide and there was no evidence of a trend. Women exposed to polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons had an elevated relative risk, also with a wide confidence interval and no evidence of a trend with duration.