title: Alcohol drinking and pancreatic cancer risk: a meta-analysis of the dose-risk relation.
abstract: In order to provide a more precise quantification of the association between alcohol consumption and pancreatic cancer risk, we performed a meta-analysis of relevant dose-risk results. We conducted a PubMed search of all case-control (N=21) and cohort (N=11) studies published up to March 2009. We computed summary relative risk (RR) estimates using either fixed- or, in the presence of heterogeneity, random-effects models. The pooled RR was 0.92 (95% confidence interval, 95% CI, 0.86-0.97) for <3 drinks/day and 1.22 (95% CI, 1.12-1.34) for > or = 3 drinks/day. The increased risk for heavy drinking was similar in women and men, but apparently stronger in cohort studies (RR=1.29), in studies with high quality index (RR=1.30), and did not appear to be explained by residual confounding by either history of pancreatitis or tobacco smoking. This meta-analysis provides strong evidence for the absence of a role of moderate drinking in pancreatic carcinogenesis, coupled to an increased risk for heavy alcohol drinking. Given the moderate increase in risk and the low prevalence of heavy drinkers in most populations, alcohol appears to be responsible only for a small fraction of all pancreatic cancers.
authors.affiliation: Istituto di Ricerche Farmacologiche Mario Negri, 20156, Milano, Italy. irene.tramacere@marionegri.it
authors.forename: Irene
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Tramacere
authors.forename: Lorenza
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Scotti
authors.forename: Mazda
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Jenab
authors.forename: Vincenzo
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Bagnardi
authors.forename: Rino
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Bellocco
authors.forename: Matteo
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Rota
authors.forename: Giovanni
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Corrao
authors.forename: Francesca
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Bravi
authors.forename: Paolo
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Boffetta
authors.forename: Carlo
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: La Vecchia
mesh_terms: D000428:Alcohol Drinking / Q000009:adverse effects*; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D015331:Cohort Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D010190:Pancreatic Neoplasms / Q000209:etiology*; D018570:Risk Assessment / Q000379:methods; D012307:Risk Factors