title: Alcohol consumption and the risk of nasopharyngeal carcinoma: a systematic review.
abstract: The evidence concerning the influence of alcohol drinking on the risk of nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) has yielded intriguing findings but has lacked a clear-cut interpretation due to inconsistencies. To unify this body of evidence, we performed a systematic review. With funding and using a protocol developed by the World Cancer Research Fund (WCRF), 15 bibliographic databases were searched for epidemiological studies that reported a measure of association between alcoholic beverage consumption and NPC. Pooled odds ratios (ORs) for highest-vs.-lowest categories of total alcohol intake was obtained by using an inverse-variance weighted random-effects model. A dose-response trend was examined in models using generalized least square estimation. The search identified 14 case-control studies from 5 countries. For total alcohol intake, the pooled ORs in a comparison of the highest to the lowest category was 1.33 (95% CI: = 1.09-1.62) in 11 studies. Data from 6 studies indicated a J-shape dose-response trend, with NPC risk decreasing with up to 15 drinks/wk and increasing with higher intake. Fewer data were available to assess the associations between NPC and intake of beer, wine, and spirits. The potential J-shaped dose-response trend suggests a reduced risk of NPC related to the light alcohol drinking, an observation that warrants further study. Considered in total, the quantitative summaries of the case-control evidence suggest that heavy alcohol consumption is associated with an increased risk of NPC.
authors.affiliation: Center for Human Nutrition, Department of International Health, Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, Maryland, USA.
authors.forename: Liwei
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.forename: Lisa
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Gallicchio
authors.forename: Kristina
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Boyd-Lindsley
authors.forename: Xuguang Grant
authors.initials: XG
authors.lastname: Tao
authors.forename: Karen A
authors.initials: KA
authors.lastname: Robinson
authors.forename: Tram Kim
authors.initials: TK
authors.lastname: Lam
authors.forename: James G
authors.initials: JG
authors.lastname: Herman
authors.forename: Laura E
authors.initials: LE
authors.lastname: Caulfield
authors.forename: Eliseo
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Guallar
authors.forename: Anthony J
authors.initials: AJ
authors.lastname: Alberg
mesh_terms: D000428:Alcohol Drinking / Q000009:adverse effects*; D000434:Alcoholic Beverages / Q000009:adverse effects; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D009303:Nasopharyngeal Neoplasms / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000209:etiology*; D016017:Odds Ratio; D012307:Risk Factors