Maté consumption and risk of oral cancer: Case-control study in Uruguay.
BACKGROUND
In the period 1990 to 2001, a case-control study on oral cancer and maté consumption was conducted at the Cancer Institute of Uruguay.


METHODS
The study included 696 newly diagnosed cases with squamous cell carcinoma and 696 controls afflicted with nonneoplastic conditions not related to tobacco smoking and alcohol drinking. The participants were matched on age and residence and the study was restricted to men.


RESULTS
In order to control confounding for tobacco and alcohol, we fitted 2 models. According to model 1, the odds ratio (OR) for maté consumption was 1.15 (95% confidence interval [CI], 0.76-1.73), whereas the results for model 2 showed an OR of 3.47 (95% CI, 1.60-7.52).


CONCLUSIONS
The inclusion of a term for the interaction between maté and smoking (or drinking) was rewarding and the ORs were even higher than those observed with the crude estimates.
Epidemiology Group, Department of Pathology, School of Medicine, Uruguay.
Hugo
H
Deneo-Pellegrini
Eduardo
E
De Stefani
Paolo
P
Boffetta
Alvaro L
AL
Ronco
Gisele
G
Acosta
Pelayo
P
Correa
María
M
Mendilaharsu
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001628:Beverages; D002294:Carcinoma, Squamous Cell / Q000453:epidemiology*; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D004032:Diet; D004327:Drinking Behavior; D006801:Humans; D030019:Ilex paraguariensis; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009062:Mouth Neoplasms / Q000453:epidemiology*; D012307:Risk Factors; D012907:Smoking; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D014583:Uruguay