Epidemiologic differences between women with colorectal cancer and women with ovarian cancer

Background and Objectives: The difference between the epidemiologic feature s of women with colorectal cancer and those with ovarian cancer has not bee n thoroughly studied. The aim of this study is to review the epidemiologic features of women with colorectal cancer and compare them with those of wom en with ovarian cancer. Methods: The epidemiologic features of 705 women with colorectal cancer wer e compared with those of 503 women with primary epithelial ovarian cancer. Both groups included all women with the confirmed respective histologic dia gnoses admitted to Roswell Park Cancer Institute between 1952 and 1996 who returned a voluntary self-administered epidemiologic questionnaire. Results: Women with ovarian cancer were significantly younger, had higher e ducation and income, had fewer children, and were mure likely to have never been married and nulligravid than those with colorectal cancer. There was a significant difference in the contraceptive history between both groups a mong women greater than or equal to 35 years of age. More women with ovaria n cancer had a family history of ovarian cancer and more women with colorec tal cancer had a family history of colorectal cancer. Conclusions: The epidemiologic features of women with colorectal cancer are different from those with ovarian cancer. The difference between both grou ps might indicate difference in the environmental or genetic etiology of bo th cancers. (C) 2001 Wiley-Liss, Inc.