Salted meat consumption and the risk of cancer: a multisite case-control study in Uruguay.
BACKGROUND
Previous studies have suggested that a high intake of salted meat may increase the risk of esophageal and stomach cancers, but the results are not conclusive.


METHODS
We used polytomous logistic regression to analyseestimate odds ratios (ORs) and 95 % confidence intervals (CIs) ford the association between salted meat intake and the risk of several cancers in a case-control study from Uruguay that was conducted between 1988 and 2005. The study included 13,050 participants (9,252 cases and 3,798 controls) which were drawn from the four major public health hospitals in Montevideo, Uruguay.


RESULTS
Salted meat intake was significantly associated with increased odds of cancers of the oesophagus (OR= 2.28, 95% CI: 1.75-2.97), colon and rectum (OR= 1.53, 95% CI: 1.16-2.03), lung (OR= 1.57, 95% CI: 1.26-1.97), cervix uteri (OR= 1.76, 95% CI: 1.05-2.25), prostate (OR= 1.60, 95% CI: 1.18-2.17), urinary bladder (OR= 2.23, 95% CI: 1.63-3.04), kidney (OR= 1.62, 95% CI: 1.03-2.54) and non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (OR= 1.81, 95% CI: 1.12-2.95).


CONCLUSIONS
Our results confirm previous reports of an elevated risk of oesophageal cancer with higher intake of salted meat, but also suggest that salted meat intake may increase the risk of several other cancers.
De Stefani
Eduardo
E
Departamento de Anatomía Patológica, Hospital de Clíínicas, Uruguay. estefani@adinet.com.uy
Aune
Dagfinn
D
Boffetta
Paolo
P
Deneo-Pellegrini
Hugo
H
Ronco
Alvaro L
AL
Acosta
Gisele
G
Brennan
Paul
P
Ferro
Gilles
G
Mendilaharsu
María
M
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D005247:Feeding Behavior; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008460:Meat / Q000009:adverse effects*; D008875:Middle Aged; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology*; D012307:Risk Factors; D012965:Sodium Chloride / Q000009:adverse effects*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014583:Uruguay / Q000453:epidemiology
D012965:Sodium Chloride