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. 1995 Apr 29;345(8957):1087-8.
doi: 10.1016/s0140-6736(95)90821-8.

Weight gain in infancy and cancer of the ovary

D J Barker  1 , P D Winter, C Osmond, D I Phillips, H Y Sultan
Affiliations

Weight gain in infancy and cancer of the ovary

D J Barker et al. Lancet. .

Abstract

The geographic association between ovarian cancer and tall stature suggests a link with rapid growth in early childhood. Among 5585 women born in Hertfordshire, UK, 41 who died from ovarian cancer had had a high rate of weight gain in infancy. Whereas their mean birthweight was the same as that of the other women, their mean weight at 1 year was higher (22.3 pounds [10.1 kg] vs 21.4 pounds [9.7 kg], p = 0.01). These observations are consistent with the hypothesis that ovarian cancer is linked to altered patterns of gonadotropin release established in utero when the fetal hypothalamus is imprinted.

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