Association of inflammation-related exposures and ovarian cancer survival in a multi-site cohort study of Black women.

BackgroundAn association was observed between an inflammation-related risk score (IRRS) and worse overall survival (OS) among a cohort of mostly White women with invasive epithelial ovarian cancer (EOC). Herein, we evaluated the association between the IRRS and OS among Black women with EOC, a population with higher frequencies of pro-inflammatory exposures and worse survival.MethodsThe analysis included 592 Black women diagnosed with EOC from the African American Cancer Epidemiology Study (AACES). Cox proportional hazards models were used to compute hazard ratios (HRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for the association of the IRRS and OS, adjusting for relevant covariates. Additional inflammation-related exposures, including the energy-adjusted Dietary Inflammatory Index (E-DIITM), were evaluated.ResultsA dose-response trend was observed showing higher IRRS was associated with worse OS (per quartile HR: 1.11, 95% CI: 1.01-1.22). Adding the E-DII to the model attenuated the association of IRRS with OS, and increasing E-DII, indicating a more pro-inflammatory diet, was associated with shorter OS (per quartile HR: 1.12, 95% CI: 1.02-1.24). Scoring high on both indices was associated with shorter OS (HR: 1.54, 95% CI: 1.16-2.06).ConclusionHigher levels of inflammation-related exposures were associated with decreased EOC OS among Black women.