title: Dietary habits and risk of pancreatic cancer: an Italian case-control study.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To investigate the association between dietary habits and pancreatic cancer.
  
  
  METHODS
  Between 1991 and 2008, we conducted a hospital-based case-control study in northern Italy.
  
  
  METHODS
  326 patients (median age 63 years) with incident pancreatic cancer admitted to general hospitals in the areas of Milan and Pordenone, northern Italy.
  
  
  METHODS
  652 patients (median age 63 years) with acute non-neoplastic conditions admitted to the same hospital network of cases. Diet was assessed using a validated food frequency questionnaire. Conditional logistic regression was used to estimate odds ratios (OR) and the corresponding 95% confidence intervals (CI).
  
  
  RESULTS
  Frequent meat consumption was associated to a twofold increased risk of pancreatic cancer (95% CI: 1.18-3.36); the risk was significant for meat cooked by boiling/stewing or broiling/roasting. Added table sugar (OR = 2.23; 95% CI: 1.34-3.71) and potatoes (OR = 1.79; 95% CI: 1.12-2.86) were related to pancreatic cancer. An inverse association emerged for non-citrus fruits (OR = 0.41; 95% CI: 0.24-0.69), cooked vegetables (OR = 0.57; 95% CI: 0.36-0.92), and, possibly, for pulses (OR = 0.59; 95% CI: 0.35-1.00).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The present study supports an inverse association between fruits and vegetables and pancreatic cancer risk, and it confirms a direct relation with meat. The increased risk for table sugar suggests that insulin resistance may play a role in pancreatic carcinogenesis.
authors.affiliation: Unità di Epidemiologia e Biostatistica, Centro di Riferimento Oncologico, IRCCS, Via Franco Gallini, 2, 33081 Aviano, Pordenone, Italy. polesel@cro.it
authors.forename: Jerry
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Polesel
authors.forename: Renato
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Talamini
authors.forename: Eva
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Negri
authors.forename: Cristina
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Bosetti
authors.forename: Giovanni
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Boz
authors.forename: Ersilia
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Lucenteforte
authors.forename: Silvia
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Franceschi
authors.forename: Diego
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Serraino
authors.forename: Carlo
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: La Vecchia
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D016001:Confidence Intervals; D004032:Diet; D015930:Diet Records; D005247:Feeding Behavior; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007558:Italy / Q000453:epidemiology; D016015:Logistic Models; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D016017:Odds Ratio; D010190:Pancreatic Neoplasms / Q000453:epidemiology*; D018570:Risk Assessment; D012307:Risk Factors; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires