Background: There is some evidence to suggest that endogenous levels of sex hormones might influence the etiology of cancers of the pancreas, kidney, and brain, but epidemiologic data are lacking.
Methods: We evaluated the association of circulating levels of total and free testosterone, and of sex hormone-binding globulin (SHBG), with the risk of cancers of the pancreas, kidney, and brain, and of total and free estradiol with the risk of kidney cancer, in the UK Biobank cohort study (n = 425,793; 225 pancreatic cancers, 749 kidney cancers, 467 brain cancers). Multivariable Cox proportional hazards models were used to estimate HRs and 95% confidence intervals for the associations.
Results: Testosterone and SHBG levels were not associated with risk of pancreatic cancer. Most of the associations for the other two anatomic sites were null. There were inverse associations between total testosterone and brain cancer in men and between SHBG and risk of kidney cancer in the total sample and in women. Estradiol was not associated with the risk of kidney cancer.
Conclusions: The results of this study provide little support for associations between sex hormones/SHBG and risk of cancers of the pancreas, kidney, and brain. Larger studies are warranted.
Impact: Although these results provide little support for roles for sex hormones and SHBG in the etiology of cancers of the pancreas, kidney, and brain, there is a need for studies with larger numbers of cases.
©2020 American Association for Cancer Research.