Alcohol consumption, cigarette smoking, and endometrial cancer risk: results from the Netherlands Cohort Study

Objective To examine the association between alcohol consumption, cigarette smoking, and endometrial cancer. Methods In 1986, the Netherlands Cohort Study was initiated. A self-administered questionnaire on dietary habits and other cancer risk factors was completed by 62,573 women. Follow-up for cancer was established by record linkage to the Netherlands Cancer Registry. Results After 11.3-years of follow-up, 280 incident endometrial cancer cases were available for analyses. In multivariate analysis, the rate ratio (RR) for alcohol users versus non-users was 1.06 (95% Confidence Interval (95% CI) = 0.78-1.43). There were neither dose-dependent trends nor associations with different types of beverages. The RR for former and current smokers versus never-smokers was 0.83 (95% CI = 0.58-1.20) and 0.59 (95% CI = 0.40-0.88), respectively. These estimates did not change significantly when body mass index (BMI) and age at menopause were added to the models. Conclusions There is no association between alcohol consumption and endometrial cancer. Current smoking is associated with a reduced risk of endometrial cancer. This association is neither mediated by BMI nor by age at menopause.