Titus-Ernstoff, LindaRees, Judy R.Terry, KathrynCramer, Daniel2016-06-172009Titus-Ernstoff, Linda, Judy R. Rees, Kathryn L. Terry, and Daniel W. Cramer. 2009. “Breast-Feeding the Last Born Child and Risk of Ovarian Cancer.” Cancer Causes Control 21 (2) (November 10): 201–207. doi:10.1007/s10552-009-9450-8.0957-5243http://nrs.harvard.edu/urn-3:HUL.InstRepos:27336924Conflicting reports regarding the relationship between breast-feeding and ovarian cancer risk suggest a possible influence of patterns of breast-feeding. We used logistic regression to examine breast-feeding in a large population of parous women who participated in a case–control study of ovarian cancer in New Hampshire and MA, USA. Risk of ovarian cancer was reduced in parous women who ever breast-fed (OR: 0.75; 95% CI: 0.62, 0.92), but evidence was limited for an influence of duration of breast-feeding and the number of children breast-fed. Compared to never breast-feeding, inverse associations were seen for breast-feeding all children (OR: 0.72; 95% CI: 0.58, 0.91) and for breast-feeding some children when the last born child was breast-fed (OR: 0.58; 95% CI: 0.37, 0.91). There was little evidence of reduced risk for those who breast-fed some children when the last born child was not breast-fed (OR: 0.91; 95% CI: 0.66, 1.26). Similar findings were noted in women with exactly two children and in those with two or more children. The protective influence of breast-feeding on ovarian cancer risk may be limited to women who breast-feed their last born child. These findings, which require confirmation by future studies, imply that breast-feeding resets pregnancy-related states that mediate ovarian cancer risk.en-USOvarian cancerBreast-feedingParityJournal Article2016-06-1710.1007/s10552-009-9450-8