Association Between Polycystic Ovary Syndrome and Pancreatic Cancer in a Retrospective Case-Control Study

Objective: To assess the association between polycystic ovary syndrome and pancreatic cancer in Taiwan.

Methods: We used the 2013–2020 claims data of Taiwan National Health Insurance Program. A case-control study was performed, including female subjects 20 years or older with and without pancreatic cancer. Cases comprised female subjects diagnosed with pancreatic cancer, identified based on diagnosis codes. Controls were selected from female subjects without pancreatic cancer and matched to cases on age and comorbidities. Polycystic ovary syndrome was identified through diagnosis codes. A conditional logistic regression model was used to assess the association between polycystic ovary syndrome and pancreatic cancer, with results presented as odds ratio (OR) and 95% confidence interval (CI).

Results: This case-control study included 12,466 cases with pancreatic cancer and 49,864 matched controls. The proportions of polycystic ovary syndrome were 2.6% among cases with pancreatic cancer and 1.4% among controls without pancreatic cancer (p < 0.001). After controlling for confounding factors, the conditional logistical regression model revealed a statistically significant association between polycystic ovary syndrome and pancreatic cancer, with an OR of 1.38 (95% CI = 1.21–1.59, p < 0.001).

Conclusion: This case-control study reveals that there is a statistically significant association between polycystic ovary syndrome and pancreatic cancer. More studies are needed to provide robust evidence.