title: Baseline and lifetime alcohol consumption and risk of differentiated thyroid carcinoma in the EPIC study.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Results from several cohort and case-control studies suggest a protective association between current alcohol intake and risk of thyroid carcinoma, but the epidemiological evidence is not completely consistent and several questions remain unanswered.
  
  
  METHODS
  The association between alcohol consumption at recruitment and over the lifetime and risk of differentiated thyroid carcinoma was examined in the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition. Among 477 263 eligible participants (70% women), 556 (90% women) were diagnosed with differentiated thyroid carcinoma over a mean follow-up of 11 years. Hazard ratios (HRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were estimated using multivariable Cox proportional hazards models.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Compared with participants consuming 0.1-4.9 g of alcohol per day at recruitment, participants consuming 15 or more grams (approximately 1-1.5 drinks) had a 23% lower risk of differentiated thyroid carcinoma (HR=0.77; 95% CI=0.60-0.98). These findings did not differ greatly when analyses were conducted for lifetime alcohol consumption, although the risk estimates were attenuated and not statistically significant anymore. Similar results were observed by type of alcoholic beverage, by differentiated thyroid carcinoma histology or according to age, sex, smoking status, body mass index and diabetes.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Our study provides some support to the hypothesis that moderate alcohol consumption may be associated with a lower risk of papillary and follicular thyroid carcinomas.
authors: Department of Hygiene and Epidemiology, University of Ioannina School of Medicine, Ioannina 45110, Greece.|Department of Public Health and General Practice, Faculty of Medicine, Norwegian University of Science and Technology, NTNU, Trondheim N-7491, Norway.
authors: Abhijit
authors: A
authors: Sen
authors: Department of Hygiene and Epidemiology, University of Ioannina School of Medicine, Ioannina 45110, Greece.|Cancer Epidemiology Unit, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK.|Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, School of Public Health, Imperial College London, London, UK.
authors: Konstantinos K
authors: KK
authors: Tsilidis
authors: Clinical Trial Service Unit and Epidemiological Studies Unit, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK.
authors: Naomi E
authors: NE
authors: Allen
authors: International Agency for Research on Cancer, Lyon, France.
authors: Sabina
authors: S
authors: Rinaldi
authors: Cancer Epidemiology Unit, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK.
authors: Paul N
authors: PN
authors: Appleby
authors: Department of Surgery, University Hospital Lund, Lund, Sweden.|Malmö Diet and Cancer Study, University Hospital Malmö, Malmö, Sweden.
authors: Martin
authors: M
authors: Almquist
authors: Cancer Epidemiology Unit, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK.
authors: Julie A
authors: JA
authors: Schmidt
authors: Section for Epidemiology, Department of Public Health, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark.
authors: Christina C
authors: CC
authors: Dahm
authors: Section for Epidemiology, Department of Public Health, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark.
authors: Kim
authors: K
authors: Overvad
authors: Danish Cancer Society Research Center, Copenhagen, Denmark.
authors: Anne
authors: A
authors: Tjønneland
authors: Danish Cancer Society Research Center, Copenhagen, Denmark.
authors: Agnetha L
authors: AL
authors: Rostgaard-Hansen
authors: Inserm, Centre for research in Epidemiology and Population Health (CESP), Nutrition, Hormones and Women's Health team, Villejuif, France.|Université Paris Sud, Villejuif, France.|Institut Gustave Roussy, Villejuif, France.
authors: Françoise
authors: F
authors: Clavel-Chapelon
authors: Cancer Epidemiology Centre, Cancer Council of Victoria, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.|Centre for Epidemiology and Biostatistics, School of Population and Global Health, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.
authors: Laura
authors: L
authors: Baglietto
authors: Inserm, Centre for research in Epidemiology and Population Health (CESP), Nutrition, Hormones and Women's Health team, Villejuif, France.|Université Paris Sud, Villejuif, France.|Institut Gustave Roussy, Villejuif, France.
authors: Marie-Christine
authors: MC
authors: Boutron-Ruault
authors: German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ), Heidelberg, Germany.
authors: Tilman
authors: T
authors: Kühn
authors: German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ), Heidelberg, Germany.
authors: Verena A
authors: VA
authors: Katze
authors: Department of Epidemiology, German Institute of Human Nutrition Potsdam-Rehbrueke, Nuthetal, Germany.
authors: Heiner
authors: H
authors: Boeing
authors: Hellenic Health Foundation, Athens, Greece.|Department of Hygiene, Epidemiology and Medical Statistics, University of Athens Medical School, Athens, Greece.|Bureau of Epidemiologic Research, Academy of Athens, Athens, Greece.
authors: Antonia
authors: A
authors: Trichopoulou
authors: Hellenic Health Foundation, Athens, Greece.
authors: Christos
authors: C
authors: Tsironis
authors: Department of Hygiene, Epidemiology and Medical Statistics, University of Athens Medical School, Athens, Greece.|Bureau of Epidemiologic Research, Academy of Athens, Athens, Greece.|Department of Epidemiology, Harvard School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA.
authors: Pagona
authors: P
authors: Lagiou
authors: Molecular and Nutritional Epidemiology Unit, Cancer Research and Prevention Institute-ISPO, Florence, Italy.
authors: Domenico
authors: D
authors: Palli
authors: Department of Preventive and Predictive Medicine, Fondazione IRCCS Istituto Nazionale dei Tumori, Milan, Italy.
authors: Valeria
authors: V
authors: Pala
authors: Dipartimento Di Medicina Clinica E Chirurgia, Federico Ii University, Naples, Italy.
authors: Salvatore
authors: S
authors: Panico
authors: Ragusa Cancer Registry, Azienda Ospedaliera "Civile M.P. Arezzo", Ragusa, Italy.
authors: Rosario
authors: R
authors: Tumino
authors: Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, School of Public Health, Imperial College London, London, UK.|Human Genetics Foundation (HuGeF), Torino, Italy.
authors: Paolo
authors: P
authors: Vineis
authors: Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, School of Public Health, Imperial College London, London, UK.|Department for Determinants of Chronic Diseases (DCD), National Institute for Public Health and the Environment (RIVM), Bilthoven, The Netherlands.|Department of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, University Medical Centre, Utrecht, The Netherlands.|Department of Social and Preventive Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Malaya, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
authors: Hb As
authors: HA
authors: Bueno-de-Mesquita
authors: Julius Center for Health Sciences and Primary Care, Epidemiology, University Medical Center, Utrecht, The Netherlands.
authors: Petra H
authors: PH
authors: Peeters
authors: Department of Nutrition, Institute of Basic Medical Sciences, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway.
authors: Anette
authors: A
authors: Hjartåker
authors: Department of Community Medicine, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Tromsø, Arctic University of Norway, Tromsø, Norway.
authors: Eiliv
authors: E
authors: Lund
authors: Department of Community Medicine, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Tromsø, Arctic University of Norway, Tromsø, Norway.|Department of Research, Cancer Registry of Norway, Oslo, Norway.|Department of Medical Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden.|Genetic Epidemiology Group, Folkhälsan Research Center, Helsinki, Finland.
authors: Elisabete
authors: E
authors: Weiderpass
authors: Public Health Directorate, Asturias, Spain.
authors: J Ramón
authors: JR
authors: Quirós
authors: Unit of Nutrition and Cancer, Cancer Epidemiology Research Program, IDIBELL, Catalan Institute of Oncology-ICO, L'Hospitalet de LIobregat, Barcelona, Spain.
authors: Antonio
authors: A
authors: Agudo
authors: Escuela Andaluza de Salud Pública, Instituto de Investigación Biosanitaria, Hospitales Universitarios de Granada/Universidad de Granada, Granada, Spain.|CIBER de Epidemiología y Salud Pública (CIBERESP), Spain.
authors: María-José
authors: MJ
authors: Sánchez
authors: CIBER de Epidemiología y Salud Pública (CIBERESP), Spain.|Public Health Division of Gipuzkoa, Instituto BIO-Donostia, Basque Government, San Sebastian, Spain.
authors: Larraitz
authors: L
authors: Arriola
authors: CIBER de Epidemiología y Salud Pública (CIBERESP), Spain.|Department of Epidemiology, Murcia Regional Health Council, IMIB-Arrixaca, Murcia, Spain.
authors: Diana
authors: D
authors: Gavrila
authors: CIBER de Epidemiología y Salud Pública (CIBERESP), Spain.|Navarre Public Health Institute, Pamplona, Spain.
authors: Aurelio Barricarte
authors: AB
authors: Gurrea
authors: Department of Surgery, University Hospital Malmö, Malmö, Sweden.
authors: Ada
authors: A
authors: Tosovic
authors: Department of Surgical and Perioperative Sciences, Umeå University, Umeå, Sweden.
authors: Joakim
authors: J
authors: Hennings
authors: Department for Radiation Sciences, Umeå University, Umeå, Sweden.
authors: Maria
authors: M
authors: Sandström
authors: International Agency for Research on Cancer, Lyon, France.
authors: Isabelle
authors: I
authors: Romieu
authors: International Agency for Research on Cancer, Lyon, France.
authors: Pietro
authors: P
authors: Ferrari
authors: International Agency for Research on Cancer, Lyon, France.
authors: Raul
authors: R
authors: Zamora-Ros
authors: School of Clinical Medicine, Addenbrooke's Hospital, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK.
authors: Kay-Tee
authors: KT
authors: Khaw
authors: MRC Epidemiology Unit, Institute of Metabolic Science, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK.
authors: Nicholas J
authors: NJ
authors: Wareham
authors: Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, School of Public Health, Imperial College London, London, UK.
authors: Elio
authors: E
authors: Riboli
authors: Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, School of Public Health, Imperial College London, London, UK.
authors: Marc
authors: M
authors: Gunter
authors: International Agency for Research on Cancer, Lyon, France.
authors: Silvia
authors: S
authors: Franceschi
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000428:Alcohol Drinking / Q000009:adverse effects*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D016016:Proportional Hazards Models; D012307:Risk Factors; D017678:Sex Distribution; D013964:Thyroid Neoplasms / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology*