Book contents
- Frontmatter
- Contents
- Contributors
- Preface
- Acknowledgements
- Historical introduction
- PART I Epidemiological methods
- PART II Causative factors in human cancer
- 6 The concept of cause: epidemiological considerations
- 7 Chemical factors
- 8 Occupational factors
- 9 Cultural factors: tobacco
- 10 Cultural factors: alcohol
- 11 Sexual behavior and reproductive factors
- 12 Nutritional factors
- 13 Physical factors: fiber carcinogenesis (including crystalline silicates)
- 14 Physical factors: implants and thermal chronic injury
- 15 Physical factors: ultraviolet (UV) light
- 16 Ionizing radiation
- 17 Biological causes
- 18 Genetic and other host-risk factors
- 19 Socio-economic factors
- PART III Legal and ethical considerations
- PART IV Introduction: total and specific site epidemiology
- PART V Buccal cavity
- PART VI Digestive system
- PART VII Respiratory system
- PART VIII Bone and soft tissue
- PART IX Skin
- PART X Breast and genitourinary system
- PART XI Eye and nervous system
- PART XII Thyroid and other endocrine glands, lymphoid and hematopoietic system
- PART XIII Cancers in children and multiple primary cancers
- Conclusions
- Appendix 1 Cancer statistics
- Appendix 2 A glossary of epidemiological terms
- Appendix 3 Acronyms and abbreviations
- Supplement
- Index
11 - Sexual behavior and reproductive factors
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 03 May 2010
- Frontmatter
- Contents
- Contributors
- Preface
- Acknowledgements
- Historical introduction
- PART I Epidemiological methods
- PART II Causative factors in human cancer
- 6 The concept of cause: epidemiological considerations
- 7 Chemical factors
- 8 Occupational factors
- 9 Cultural factors: tobacco
- 10 Cultural factors: alcohol
- 11 Sexual behavior and reproductive factors
- 12 Nutritional factors
- 13 Physical factors: fiber carcinogenesis (including crystalline silicates)
- 14 Physical factors: implants and thermal chronic injury
- 15 Physical factors: ultraviolet (UV) light
- 16 Ionizing radiation
- 17 Biological causes
- 18 Genetic and other host-risk factors
- 19 Socio-economic factors
- PART III Legal and ethical considerations
- PART IV Introduction: total and specific site epidemiology
- PART V Buccal cavity
- PART VI Digestive system
- PART VII Respiratory system
- PART VIII Bone and soft tissue
- PART IX Skin
- PART X Breast and genitourinary system
- PART XI Eye and nervous system
- PART XII Thyroid and other endocrine glands, lymphoid and hematopoietic system
- PART XIII Cancers in children and multiple primary cancers
- Conclusions
- Appendix 1 Cancer statistics
- Appendix 2 A glossary of epidemiological terms
- Appendix 3 Acronyms and abbreviations
- Supplement
- Index
Summary
A range of factors is considered in this section: sexual behavior has less impact than reproductive habits.
Sexual behavior and cervical cancer (Chapter 41)
Sexual behavior has been shown to influence cancer risk only at one site: uterine cervix.
Earlier epidemiological studies tended to describe female sexual variables in terms of marital status and reproductive history, whereas more recent studies identify the number of sexual partners and sexual intercourse as the two major risk factors. The latter are highly correlated and few investigations have separated their effects. After adjusting for age at first intercourse, all studies have shown a significant association with the number of sexual partners. Not all, however, after adjusting for sexual partners, have found a significant association with age at first intercourse.
If a major cause of cervical cancer is a sexually transmitted agent, both number of sexual partners and age at first intercourse are surrogate measures of exposure to the agent. The number of partners will reflect the probability for a susceptible woman of having had intercourse with an infected male and age at first intercourse will be a surrogate of age at first exposure. Both measures of exposure are therefore very crude and subject to a considerable degree of misclassification. Their relevance as risk factors will depend on the prevalence of the putative agent in the population.
- Type
- Chapter
- Information
- Human CancerEpidemiology and Environmental Causes, pp. 135 - 140Publisher: Cambridge University PressPrint publication year: 1992