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| Older age at first birth is a risk factor for pancreatic cancer: a meta-analysis |
| Ai-Jing Luo, Rui-Hua Feng, Xiao-Wan Wang and Fu-Zhi Wang |
Changsha and Beijing, China
Author Affiliations: The Third Xiangya Hospital of Central South University, Changsha 410013, China (Luo AJ); Key Laboratory of Medical Information Research (Central South University), College of Hunan Province, Changsha 410013, China (Luo AJ); School of Public Health, Central South University, Changsha 410078, China (Feng RH); Center for Health Policy and Management, China Academy of Medicine Sciences, Beijing 100020, China (Feng RH and Wang XW); Department of Medicine Management, Bengbu Medical College, Bengbu 233030, China (Wang FZ)
Corresponding Author: Rui-Hua Feng, PhD, Center for Health Policy and Management, China Academy of Medicine Sciences, Yabao Road No. 3, Chaoyang District, Beijing 100020, China (Tel: +86-10-52328852; Email: fengruihua421@hotmail.com) |
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Abstract BACKGROUND: Some studies found that age at first birth is associated with pancreatic cancer; others did not. The present meta-analysis was to evaluate the relationship between age at first birth and pancreatic cancer in women.
DATA SOURCES: We searched PubMed, Embase, and the Cochrane Library for relevant publications on age at first birth and pancreatic cancer up to April, 2014. The eligible studies (six cohorts and five case-controls) were independently selected by two authors. Pooled relative risk (RR) estimates and corresponding 95% confidence interval (95% CI) were calculated using the inverse-variance method.
RESULTS: The pooled RR of pancreatic cancer risk for the highest versus lowest categories of age at first birth was 1.21 (95% CI: 1.01-1.45, P=0.314, I2=13.7%). Consistent relationships were also observed within subgroup analyses stratified by study design, geographic region, and whether the studies included adjustment for cigarette smoking, diabetes, or all of the confounders. In this meta-analysis, no publication bias among studies was observed using Egger’s test (P=0.383) or Begg’s test (P=0.436).
CONCLUSION: Our findings suggest that older age at first birth is associated with an increased risk of pancreatic cancer in women and the exact functional mechanism needs further investigation.
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2016, Vol. 15 
