Prospective study of the association of alcohol with cancer of the upper aerodigestive tract and other sites.
The association of alcohol consumption with cancers of the upper aerodigestive tract, hepato-biliary-pancreatic system, urogenital organs (except for prostate), and lymphohematopoietic tissue was evaluated in a prospective study of 6,701 American men of Japanese ancestry living in Hawaii. Compared with cancer-free subjects, subjects who subsequently developed cancers of the upper aerodigestive tract (oral-pharynx, esophagus, and larynx), liver, biliary tract, and lymphohematopoietic tissue consumed significantly larger amounts of total alcohol--mainly in the form of beer. Subjects who developed oral-pharyngeal and esophageal cancer also consumed larger amounts of wine and spirits. Because the upper aerodigestive tract cancers were associated positively with cigarette smoking, age-adjusted relative risks (RR) were calculated, based on joint exposure to cigarette smoking and heavy alcohol intake (greater than or equal to 30 ml/day) in this population. A markedly increased risk was observed among subjects who were both heavy alcohol drinkers and smokers (RR = 17.3, 95 percent confidence interval [CI] = 6.7-44.2), compared with subjects who who did not smoke and did not drink heavily. The risk for these cancers also was increased among heavy alcohol drinkers who were nonsmokers (RR = 8.6, CI = 2.1-36.0).
Kato
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Division of Epidemiology, Aichi Cancer Center Research Institute, Nagoya, Japan.
Nomura
A M
AM
Stemmermann
G N
GN
Chyou
P H
PH
D000368:Aged; D000428:Alcohol Drinking / Q000009:adverse effects*; D000434:Alcoholic Beverages / Q000009:adverse effects; D001515:Beer / Q000009:adverse effects; D001661:Biliary Tract Neoplasms / Q000209:etiology; D015331:Cohort Studies; D004938:Esophageal Neoplasms / Q000209:etiology*; D000431:Ethanol / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000009:adverse effects; D006254:Hawaii; D006801:Humans; D007564:Japan / Q000453:epidemiology; D007822:Laryngeal Neoplasms / Q000209:etiology*; D007938:Leukemia / Q000209:etiology; D008113:Liver Neoplasms / Q000209:etiology; D008223:Lymphoma / Q000209:etiology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009062:Mouth Neoplasms / Q000209:etiology*; D010190:Pancreatic Neoplasms / Q000209:etiology; D010610:Pharyngeal Neoplasms / Q000209:etiology*; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012307:Risk Factors; D012907:Smoking / Q000009:adverse effects; D014565:Urogenital Neoplasms / Q000209:etiology
D000431:Ethanol