title: Exploratory factor analysis of squamous cell carcinoma of the esophagus in Uruguay.
abstract: In the period 1996--2004, a hospital-based, case-control study on diet and risk of squamous cell carcinoma of the esophagus was conducted in Montevideo, Uruguay. The study included 234 cases and 468 controls, frequency matched on age, sex, and residence. Factor analysis (principal components) was used to identify the major food patterns associated with esophageal cancer. The analysis of food groups led to the identification of four patterns, arbitrarily labeled as traditional, healthy, high-fat, and drinker. The traditional pattern was not associated with risk of esophageal carcinoma, whereas the healthy pattern displayed a strong inverse association with this malignancy [odds ratio (OR) 0.29, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.17-0.48, P value for trend < 0.0001]. Unexpectedly, the high-fat foods diet was also marginally protective (OR 0.60, 95% CI 0.36-1.01, P value for trend = 0.07). On the other hand, the drinker pattern displayed a twofold increase in risk of esophageal carcinoma (OR 2.03, 95% CI 1.17-3.51, P value for trend = 0.01). The present study suggests that factor analysis might contribute to the elucidation of the contribution of diet on human cancer. Because diet represents a complex set of highly correlated exposures, dietary patterns could be more explicative of the etiology of squamous cell carcinoma of the esophagus than the traditional reductionist approach.
authors.affiliation: Grupo de Epidemiología, Departamento de Anatomía Patológica, Hospital de Clínicas Facultad de Medicina, Montevideo, Uruguay. estefani@adinet.com.uy
authors.forename: Eduardo
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: De Stefani
authors.forename: Paolo
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Boffetta
authors.forename: Alvaro L
authors.initials: AL
authors.lastname: Ronco
authors.forename: Hugo
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Deneo-Pellegrini
authors.forename: Pelayo
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Correa
authors.forename: Giselle
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Acosta
authors.forename: María
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Mendilaharsu
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000428:Alcohol Drinking / Q000009:adverse effects*; D002294:Carcinoma, Squamous Cell / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000209:etiology; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D016001:Confidence Intervals; D004034:Diet Surveys; D004041:Dietary Fats / Q000008:administration & dosage; D004938:Esophageal Neoplasms / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000209:etiology; D005163:Factor Analysis, Statistical; D005247:Feeding Behavior; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D016017:Odds Ratio; D025341:Principal Component Analysis; D012307:Risk Factors; D014583:Uruguay / Q000453:epidemiology
chemical_list: D004041:Dietary Fats