Mr. Galanti et al., PARITY AND RISK OF THYROID-CANCER - A NESTED CASE-CONTROL STUDY OF A NATIONWIDE SWEDISH COHORT, CCC. Cancer causes & control, 6(1), 1995, pp. 37-44
The association between parity and risk of thyroid cancer was examined
in a case-control study nested within a cohort of Swedish women born
1925-60. A total of 1,409 cases of thyroid cancer were compared with 7
,019 age-matched controls. Odds ratios (OR) and 95 percent confidence
intervals (CI) were calculated as estimates of relative risk. A weak a
ssociation was found between parity and risk of thyroid cancer (OR for
ever-parous women cf nulliparous was 1.1, CI = 1.0-1.3). For the subs
et of papillary cancers, there was a significantly increased risk (OR
for ever-parous cf nulliparous = 1.3, CI = 1.0-1.6), and among women d
iagnosed at the age of 50 or older, there was a positive linear trend
with increasing number of livebirths. Women during the first year afte
r a livebirth had an increased risk of thyroid cancer compared with wo
men who delivered 10 or more years before; this association was most p
rominent among uniparous women (OR = 2.5, CI = 1.1-5.9). An increased
risk was also apparent for age over 20 years at livebirth (among unipa
rous women) and age over 25 years at last livebirth (among multiparous
women). A negligible effect of parity on thyroid cancer risk was seen
, but each livebirth may have a short-term and age-dependent promoting
effect.