Alcohol and ovarian cancer risk: results from the Netherlands Cohort Study

Objective: To study alcohol consumption in relation to ovarian cancer risk in a prospective cohort study. Methods: The Netherlands Cohort Study on diet and cancer was initiated in 1986. A self-administered questionnaire on dietary habits and other risk factors for cancer was completed by 62,573 postmenopausal women. Follow-up for cancer was established by annual record linkages with the Netherlands Cancer Registry. After 9.3 years of follow-up, 214 incident invasive epithelial ovarian cancer cases and 2211 subcohort members with complete data on alcohol intake were available for analysis. All incidence rate ratios (RRs) were corrected for age, use of oral contraceptives, parity, height, body mass index, energy intake and current cigarette smoking. Results: The RRs of ovarian cancer for women who consumed up to 5, 15 and >15 g of alcohol per day were 1.13 (95% confidence interval, 95% CI = 0.79–1.63), 0.85 (95% CI = 0.53–1.37) and 0.92 (95% CI = 0.55–1.54), respectively, compared to non-drinkers. Alcohol consumption in the form of wine, beer or liquor was not associated with ovarian cancer risk. Conclusion: These data do not suggest a major association between alcohol intake and ovarian cancer risk in this population.