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Studies on talc and ovarian cancer
Explore the science.
The Nurses’ Health Study
The Nurses’ Health Study (NHS) is the largest women’s health study ever conducted. This U.S. government-funded cohort study has looked into risk factors for major chronic diseases in women since 1976.
Showed no overall increase in the risk of ovarian cancer
24
Years study
78,630
Total women
31,789
Women used talc
The Women’s Health Initiative Study
The Women’s Health Initiative (WHI) was established by the U.S. National Institutes of Health in 1991 to study the health of postmenopausal women. Among the many issues this cohort study investigated were the link between hormone therapy and breast cancer, and the effects of diet on cancer and heart disease.
Showed no overall increase in the risk of ovarian cancer
12
Year study
61,576
Total women
32,219
Women used talc
The Sister Study
The Sister Study, conducted from 2003-2009 with the support of the National Institutes of Health, National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences was a landmark research effort to find the causes of breast cancer.
Showed no overall increase in the risk of ovarian cancer
6
Years study
41,654
Total women
5,735
Women used talc
Other studies
The most recent cohort study, published in the Journal of the American Medical Association, pooled a number of high-level epidemiological studies and found no statistically significant increased risk of ovarian cancer with talc use.9 The study reconfirms that a statistical association between ovarian cancer and powder users is not found in large, prospective cohort studies, although some, but not all, case-control studies do indicate a slight statistical association. Case-control studies are studies where groups of people with a history of a specific disease are asked questions about different possible risk factors. These risk factors can include use of certain products in their past. One potential reason that some have found slight statistical associations is the potential for an overestimation of the true association due to “recall bias.” Recall bias is when people with a disease are more likely to overestimate their exposure to these risk factors than people without that disease. In these studies, women who know they have ovarian cancer will try hard to remember anything that might be important to explain why they got this terrible disease, which can artificially make it appear that women with cancer used more talcum powder.8
Studies of talc and mesothelioma
Mesothelioma is a rare form of cancer, of which there are several types. Asbestos exposure has been linked to certain types of mesothelioma. Asbestos is a naturally-occurring mineral that is found in the environment, and small quantities of its fibers are all around us – in the air we breathe, in drinking water, soil and some foods. There are no sound scientific studies indicating that inhalation of cosmetic talc causes mesothelioma.
Studies of miners & millers
There have been several studies of thousands of people who were exposed to talc on a daily basis—through their work mining and milling talc powder. These studies demonstrate that exposure to high levels of talc does not increase a person’s risk of developing mesothelioma.
Talc is used to reduce fluid accumulation in lungs
A medical procedure called pleurodesis helps lungs stick to the chest wall to keep collapsed lungs inflated or prevent fluid from accumulating around the lung.
In some cases, talc is injected directly into the lining of the lungs to prevent fluid accumulation. Large-scale reports of patients show that out of hundreds of patients who had this procedure done over dozens of years, there have been no cases of mesothelioma.
In some cases, talc is injected directly into the lining of the lungs to prevent fluid accumulation. Large-scale reports of patients show that out of hundreds of patients who had this procedure done over dozens of years, there have been no cases of mesothelioma.
References
1 Industrial Minerals Association. “What is Talc.” http://www.ima-na.org/?page=what_is_talc
2 EARTH magazine. Mineral Resource of the Month. http://www.earthmagazine.org/article/mineral-resource-month-talc
3 Geology.com. Talc: The Softest Mineral. http://geology.com/minerals/talc.shtml
4 Gertig, Prospective Study of Talc Use and Ovarian Cancer, Journal of the National Cancer Institute, Nurses Health Study. http://jnci.oxfordjournals.org/content/92/3/249.full
5 Gates, Risk Factors for Epithelial Ovarian Cancer by Histologic Subtype, American Journal of Epidemiology. http://aje.oxfordjournals.org/content/171/1/45.full
6 Houghton, Perineal Powder Use and Risk of Ovarian Cancer, Journal of the National Cancer Institute, Women’s Health Initiative. http://jnci.oxfordjournals.org/content/106/9/dju208.full
7 Gonzalez, Douching, Talc Use and Risk of Ovarian Cancer, Epidemiology. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/27327020
8 Cancer.org. Talcum Powder and Cancer. http://www.cancer.org/cancer/cancercauses/othercarcinogens/athome/talcum-powder-and-cancer
9 O’Brien, Tworoger, Harris, et al., Association of Powder Use in the Genital Area With Risk of Ovarian Cancer. https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jama/article-abstract/2758452
2 EARTH magazine. Mineral Resource of the Month. http://www.earthmagazine.org/article/mineral-resource-month-talc
3 Geology.com. Talc: The Softest Mineral. http://geology.com/minerals/talc.shtml
4 Gertig, Prospective Study of Talc Use and Ovarian Cancer, Journal of the National Cancer Institute, Nurses Health Study. http://jnci.oxfordjournals.org/content/92/3/249.full
5 Gates, Risk Factors for Epithelial Ovarian Cancer by Histologic Subtype, American Journal of Epidemiology. http://aje.oxfordjournals.org/content/171/1/45.full
6 Houghton, Perineal Powder Use and Risk of Ovarian Cancer, Journal of the National Cancer Institute, Women’s Health Initiative. http://jnci.oxfordjournals.org/content/106/9/dju208.full
7 Gonzalez, Douching, Talc Use and Risk of Ovarian Cancer, Epidemiology. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/27327020
8 Cancer.org. Talcum Powder and Cancer. http://www.cancer.org/cancer/cancercauses/othercarcinogens/athome/talcum-powder-and-cancer
9 O’Brien, Tworoger, Harris, et al., Association of Powder Use in the Genital Area With Risk of Ovarian Cancer. https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jama/article-abstract/2758452