Weight gain in infancy and cancer of the ovary.

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.