Vaginal Talc Use Not Related To Ovarian Cancer, NCI Study Finds
This article was originally published in The Rose Sheet
Executive Summary
Perineal talc use is not associated with the risk of epithelial ovarian cancer, according to a study published in the Feb. 2 issue of the Journal of the National Cancer Institute.
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Perineal talc use is not associated with the risk of epithelial ovarian cancer, according to a study published in the Feb. 2 issue of the Journal of the National Cancer Institute. "There was no elevation in risk [of epithelial ovarian cancer] among daily users of perineal talc, and no trend was seen with increasing frequency of use," Dorota Gertig, et al., Brigham and Women's Hospital, conclude. The results show an age-related relative risk of 1.09. Use of talc on sanitary napkins combined with perineal use also showed no correlation with increased cancer risk. The investigators did find, however, a "modest increase" in risk for talc users for some serous invasive cancers. "Talc use on sanitary napkins was inversely related to ovarian cancer" but was statistically insignificant. Gertig et al. gathered data from the 1976 prospective Nurses' Health Study, which involved 121,700 registered nurses in the U.S. Talc use was determined via a questionnaire in 1982, and, after exclusions, the participant cohort was narrowed to 78,630 women. Of the respondents, 307 women developed epithelial ovarian cancer between 1982 and 1996. Less than half the group (40.4%), were reported talc users, while 14.5% were daily talc users. The NCI review contradicts previous data from a University of Washington study, which found perineal dusting to be associated with an increased risk of ovarian cancer (1 (Also see "Vaginal powder use results in 50% increased risk for ovarian cancer, study suggests." - HBW Insight, 10 Mar, 1997.)). The case-control study concluded that for all forms of powder, including genital deodorant sprays, perineal dusting and storing a diaphragm in powder, "there was an overall 50% elevation in risk for ovarian cancer." There was no pattern of increasing risk with increasing duration of use. FDA placed talc safety on the Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition's "B" list of priorities for 1999 and said it would pursue the use of warning labels for products containing the ingredient. Priorities for 2000, however, did not specifically mention talc (2 (Also see "AHA Labeling Proposal Tops CFSAN's Cosmetics Priorities "A" List" - HBW Insight, 14 Feb, 2000.)). Talc safety also has been discussed at the legislative level. A New York Senate bill was introduced last year requiring warnings on talc-containing products (3 ). |