There is no consistent pattern linking reproductive factors, estrogen exposure, and the risk for pancreatic cancer, according to a new report.

“If we consider the epidemiologic literature to date on reproductive and menstrual risk factors for pancreatic cancer , there does not appear to be compelling evidence for a consistent pattern with estrogen exposure,” Dr. Eric J. Duell from Dartmouth Medical School, Lebanon, New Hampshire told Reuters Health.

Cancer of the pancreas is the fourth leading cause of cancer deaths among women and men in the United States and cigarette Smoking is one of the few known risk factors for the disease. Some reports have linked certain reproductive and menstrual factors to risk of pancreatic cancer .

Duell and co-author Dr. Elizabeth A. Holly from University of California, San Francisco, evaluated the possible role of menstrual factors, reproductive factors, and hormone use in the development of pancreatic cancer in 241 women with the disease and 818 cancer-free controls.

Age at first menstrual cycle, parity (the number of times a woman has given birth), and age at first birth were not significantly associated with pancreatic cancer risk. However, age at Menopause of 45 years or older was associated with an 80 percent higher risk of developing pancreatic cancer, the researchers report in the April 15th American Journal of Epidemiology.

Women who had their ovaries removed or underwent a hysterectomy also did not appear to have a significantly different pancreatic cancer risk than women who had not undergone these procedures, the report indicates.

Overall, there was no significant association between use of birth control pills or postmenopausal estrogen replacement therapy and pancreatic cancer risk, the researchers note.

However, among women who currently smoked cigarettes, never using estrogen replacement therapy was associated with a 11.5-fold increase in the risk of pancreatic cancer, compared to women who smoked and received estrogen replacement.

Similarly, former smokers (active or passive) who never used estrogen replacement therapy had a 2.5-fold increased pancreatic cancer risk over that of former smokers who used estrogen replacement therapy, the results indicate.

The finding of “much higher smoking-related” risk among women who never had used hormones suggests that these compounds might be protective, Duell said, “but this finding needs to be replicated in other study populations before any definitive conclusions or recommendations can be made.”

SOURCE: American Journal of Epidemiology April 15, 2005.