# CASE-CONTROL STUDY OF ENDOMETRIAL CANCER AND OBESITY

> **NIH NIH R01** · UNIVERSITY OF ALABAMA AT BIRMINGHAM · 1988 · $64,789

## Abstract

A case-control study designed to evaluate the relationship between
endometrial cancer risk and obesity pattern is planned.  It is hypothesized
that women with upper body segment obesity (UBSO, android obesity)
experience an appreciably higher risk of endometrial cancer than do
nonobese women.  It is also hypothesized that women with lower body segment
obesity (LBSO, gynecoid obesity) experience an endometrial cancer risk
intermediate to that of UBSO women and the nonobese.  The proposed study
will also evaluate the overall relationship between obesity, as measured by
skinfolds, and endometrial cancer risk.

Two hundred women with newly diagnosed endometrial carcinoma and 400
hospital controls will be enrolled during a three year period.
Anthropometric measurements (skinfolds and circumferences) will be obtained
from subjects and these measurements will be used to classify women
according to obesity pattern.  A short interview will also be obtained
which will elicit information about the subjects' history of exposure to
other putative determinants of endometrial cancer.

A blood sample will also be obtained from postmenopausal subjects.  Serum
estradiol 17 Beta, estrone, and androstenedione levels will be determined
by radioimmunoassay.  It is hypothesized that UBSO postmenopausal women
will have higher serum estrogen levels, particularly estrone, than will
LBSO postmenopausal women.  This may be so because fundamental metabolic
differences between fat cells of UBSO and LBSO have been reported and the
major source of estrone among postmenopausal women is the conversion of
plasma androstenedione to estrone by adipose tissue.  The relationship
between serum hormonal levels and obesity pattern will be evaluated among
the controls.  The inclusion of serum hormonal assays on the cases will
enable an evaluation of the joint effects of obesity pattern and estrone
levels on endometrial cancer risk.

The observations that UBSO women are at higher risk of endometrial cancer
than are LBSO women and that UBSO is related to higher endogenous estrone
levels would considerably enhance our understanding of the hormonal
etiology of endometrial cancer; a common malignancy among postmenopausal
women.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 3179107
- **Project number:** 5R01CA039733-04
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF ALABAMA AT BIRMINGHAM
- **SAM.gov UEI:** YND4PLMC9AN7
- **Principal Investigator:** HARLAND D. AUSTIN
- **Activity code:** R01 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 1988
- **Award amount:** $64,789
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 1985-05-01 → 1989-10-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/3179107

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 3179107, CASE-CONTROL STUDY OF ENDOMETRIAL CANCER AND OBESITY (5R01CA039733-04). Retrieved via MORVS 2026-10-25 from https://api.morvs.ai/grant/nih/3179107. Licensed CC0.

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