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Lifetime and baseline alcohol intake and risk of cancer of the upper aero-digestive tract in the European prospective investigation into cancer and nutrition (EPIC) study

Title
Lifetime and baseline alcohol intake and risk of cancer of the upper aero-digestive tract in the European prospective investigation into cancer and nutrition (EPIC) study
Publication type
Journal Article
Year of Publication
2009
Authors
Weikert, C., Dietrich, T., Boeing, H., Bergmann, M.M., Boutron-Ruault, M.C., Clavel-Chapelon, F., Allen, N., Key, T., Lund, E., Olsen, A., Tjønneland, A., Overvad, K., Rohrmann, S., Linseisen, J., Pischon, T., Trichopoulou, A., Weinehall, L., Johansson, I., Sánchez, M.-J., Agudo, A., Barricarte, A., Amiano, P., Chirlaque, M.-D., Quirós, J.R., Wirfalt, E., Peeters, P.H., Bueno-de-Mesquita, H.B., Vrieling, A., Pala, V., Palli, D., Vineis, P., Tumino, R., Panico, S., Bingham, S., Khaw, K.-T., Norat, T., Jenab, M., Ferrari, P., Slimani, N., Riboli, E.
Journal
International Journal of Cancer
Volume
125
Issue
2
Pagination
406 - 412
Date published
2009
ISBN
00207136 (ISSN)
Keywords
alcohol consumption, Alcohol Drinking, article, cancer incidence, cancer risk, Carcinoma, Squamous Cell, Cohort study, controlled study, drinking behavior, epidemiology, Esophageal Neoplasms, Esophagus, esophagus carcinoma, esophagus tumor, Europe, Female, gastrointestinal carcinoma, human, Humans, hypopharynx carcinoma, Laryngeal Neoplasms, Larynx, larynx carcinoma, larynx tumor, major clinical study, male, Mouth Neoplasms, mouth tumor, Oral cavity, oropharynx carcinoma, Pharyngeal Neoplasms, pharynx, pharynx cancer, priority journal, proportional hazards model, Proportional Hazards Models, Prospective Studies, prospective study, risk assessment, risk factor, Risk Factors, sex difference, smoking, squamous cell carcinoma, tongue carcinoma
Abstract

Recent alcohol consumption is an established risk factor for squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) of the upper aero-digestive tract. In contrast, the role of lifetime exposure to alcohol with regard to risk of SCC is not well established. Historical data on alcohol use are available in 271,253 participants of the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition (EPIC). During 2,330,381 person years, 392 incident SCC cases (279 men and 113 women) were identified. Cox regression was applied to model sex-specific associations between lifetime alcohol intake and SCC risk adjusting for potential confounders including smoking. Compared to men who drank 0.1-6.0 g/day alcohol at lifetime, the relative risks (RR) for developing SCC were significantly increased for men who drank 30.1-60.0 g/day (RR 1.65, 95% confidence interval: 1.00-2.71), 60.1-96.0 g/day (RR 2.20, 95%CI 1.23-3.95), and >96.0 g/day, (RR 4.63, 95% CI 2.52-8.48), and for former drinkers (RR 4.14, 95%CI 2.38-7.19). These risk estimates did not considerably change when baseline alcohol intake was analyzed. Compared to women who drank 0.1-6.0 g/day alcohol intake at lifetime, the RR were significantly increased for women who drank >30 g/d (RR 6.05, 95%CI 2.98-12.3). Applying similar categories, the relative risk for baseline alcohol intake was 3.26 (95%CI 1.82-5.87). We observed a stronger association between alcohol intake at lifetime and risk of SCC in women compared to men (p for interaction 5 0.045). The strong dose-response relation for lifetime alcohol use underscores that alcohol is an important risk factor of SCC of the upper aero-digestive tract throughout life.

DOI
https://dx.doi.org/10.1002/ijc.24393
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