Association between polycystic ovary syndrome and risk of pancreatic cancer

A 2019 Swedish registry study reported that women with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) had a 3.4-fold increased risk of pancreatic cancer (compared with women without PCOS), but this study included only 5 women with pancreatic cancer who had PCOS. Analysis of the Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center (New York, NY) Pancreatic Tumor Registry (n=446) was carried out to confirm this association. The analysis found that PCOS was positively associated with risk of pancreatic cancer after adjusting for age, race and ethnicity, BMI, and estrogen use (OR 1.88; 95% CI 1.02-3.46). The association was slightly attenuated after adjusting for potential mediator type 2 diabetes (1.78; 0.95-3.34).