Alcohol Consumption and Risk of Lung Cancer in the VITamins And Lifestyle Study

The effect of alcoholic beverage consumption on lung cancer risk was investigated in the VITamins And Lifestyle (VITAL) Study. The VITAL study is a prospective cohort of residents aged 50–76 yr in Washington state. Five hundred and eighty incident lung cancer cases diagnosed between study baseline (2000–2002) and 2007 were identified among 66,186 participants without previous cancer through the Washington Surveillance Epidemiology and End Result cancer registry. Multivariable Cox's regression was used to examine the effects of beer, red wine, white wine, liquor, combined alcoholic beverage intake at study baseline, and alcohol intake at age 30 and 45 on lung cancer risk, with careful adjustment for smoking. There was no clear association between lung cancer and consumption of beer, red wine, white wine, or liquor at ≥1 drink/day. Combined alcoholic beverage intake of up to ≥3 drink/day was not associated with elevated overall lung cancer risk. Heavy consumption of alcohol at study baseline and at age 45 was, however, associated with more than doubling of risk for squamous cell carcinoma (hazard ratio for ≥3 drink/day at study baseline = 2.54, 95% CI: 1.36–4.73, P value for linear trend = 0.002) but not for adenocarcinoma. Alcohol intake at age 30 was not associated with lung cancer risk.     

Alcohol consumption and lung cancer risk in never smokers

ObjectiveThe main objective of this study is to analyse the role of alcohol consumption on lung cancer risk in people who have never smoked.MethodsWe conducted a systematic review of the scientific literature following the PRISMA statement. We searched Medline, EMBASE and CINAHL using different combinations of MeSH terms and free text. We included cohort studies, pooled cohort studies and case-control studies comprising at least 25 anatomopathologically-confirmed diagnoses of lung cancer cases, a sample size larger than 100 individuals and more than five years of follow-up for cohort studies. We excluded studies that did not specifically report results for never smokers. We developed a quality score to assess the quality of the included papers and we ultimately included 14 investigations with a heterogeneous design and methodology.ResultsResults for alcohol consumption and lung cancer risk in never smokers are inconclusive; however, several studies showed a dose-response pattern for total alcohol consumption and for spirits. Heterogeneous results were found for wine and beer.ConclusionNo clear effect is observed for alcohol consumption. Due to the limited evidence, no conclusion can be drawn for beer or wine consumption. There is little research available on the effect of alcohol on lung cancer risk for people who have never smoked, and more studies are urgently needed on this topic.     

Specialty supplements and prostate cancer risk in the VITamins and Lifestyle (VITAL) cohort

Although there is evidence from studies of prostate cancer cell lines and rodent models that several supplements may have antiinflammatory, antioxidant, or other anticancer properties, few epidemiologic studies have examined the association between nonvitamin, nonmineral, "specialty" supplement use and prostate cancer risk. Participants, 50-76 yr, were 35,239 male members of the VITamins and Lifestyle (VITAL) cohort who were residents of western Washington state, and who completed an extensive baseline questionnaire in 2000-2002. Participants responded about their frequency (days/wk) and duration (yr) of specialty supplement uses. 1,602 incident invasive prostate cancers were obtained from the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results registry. Multivariate-adjusted hazards ratios (HR) and 95% confidence intervals (95% CI) were estimated by Cox proportional hazards models. Any use of grapeseed supplements was associated with a 41% (HR 0.59, 95% CI: 0.40-0.86) reduced risk of total prostate cancer. There were no associations for use of chondroitin, coenzyme Q10, fish oil, garlic, ginkgo biloba, ginseng, glucosamine, or saw palmetto. Grapeseed may be a potential chemopreventive agent; however, as current evidence is limited, it should not yet be promoted for prevention of prostate cancer.     

Alcohol consumption and cancer risk

This review focuses on selected aspects of the relation between alcohol consumption and cancer risk. Heavy alcohol consumption (i.e., ≥4 drinks/day) is significantly associated with an increased risk of about 5-fold for oral and pharyngeal cancer and esophageal squamous cell carcinoma, 2.5-fold for laryngeal cancer, 50% for colorectal and breast cancers, and 30% for pancreatic cancer. These estimates are based on a large number of epidemiological studies and are generally consistent across strata of several covariates. The evidence suggests that at low doses of alcohol consumption (i.e., ≤1 drink/day) the risk is also increased by about 20% for oral and pharyngeal cancer and 30% for esophageal squamous cell carcinoma. Thus, for these sites there is little evidence of a threshold effect. While consumption of fewer than 3 alcoholic drinks/wk is not associated with an increased risk of breast cancer, an intake of 3 to 6 drinks/wk might already yield a (small) increase in risk. On the other hand, intakes up to 1 drink/day are not associated to the risk of laryngeal, colorectal, and pancreatic cancer. The positive association between alcohol consumption and the risk of head and neck cancers is independent from tobacco exposure.     

Alcohol consumption and breast cancer risk in the Women's Health Study

The authors assessed the association between moderate alcohol consumption and breast cancer risk in the Women's Health Study (United States, 1992-2004). During an average of 10 years of follow-up, 1,484 cases of total breast cancer (1,190 invasive and 294 in situ) were documented among 38,454 women who, at baseline, were free of cancer and cardiovascular disease and provided detailed dietary information, including alcohol consumption, for the preceding 12 months. Higher alcohol consumption was associated with a modest increase in breast cancer risk; the multivariable relative risks for > or =30 g/day of alcohol vs. none were 1.32 (95% confidence interval (CI): 0.96, 1.82) for total breast cancer and 1.43 (95% CI: 1.02, 2.02) for invasive breast cancer. An increased risk was limited to estrogen receptor (ER)- and progesterone receptor (PR)-positive tumors; the multivariable relative risks for an increment of 10 g/day of alcohol were 1.11 (95% CI: 1.03, 1.20) for ER+PR+ tumors (804 cases), 1.00 (95% CI: 0.81, 1.24) for ER+PR- tumors (125 cases), and 0.99 (95% CI: 0.82, 1.20) for ER-PR- tumors (167 cases). The association also seemed strongest among those taking postmenopausal hormones currently, but the test for interaction was not significant. The findings from this prospective study suggest that moderate alcohol consumption increases breast cancer risk.     

Alcohol consumption and ovarian cancer risk

To study the influence of alcohol consumption on the risk of ovarian cancer in women under age 55, the authors examined data collected in a multicenter, population-based case-control study--the Centers for Disease Control's Cancer and Steroid Hormone Study. Between August 1981 and December 1982, 433 women 20-54 years of age with newly diagnosed ovarian cancer and 2,915 women 20-54 years of age selected at random from the same geographic areas were asked about their consumption of alcoholic beverages during the previous five years. Women who drank any alcohol during the five-year period had a risk of ovarian cancer of 0.9 (95% confidence interval (CI) = 0.7-1.2) compared with nondrinkers. Risk was not associated with the type of alcoholic beverage consumed, nor were the results affected by controlling for demographic characteristics and oral contraceptive use. Although there was no association between moderate alcohol consumption and ovarian cancer, women who drank more than about 20 drinks per week had a relative risk of ovarian cancer of 0.5 (95% CI = 0.2-0.9) compared with women who did not drink.     

Alcohol consumption and the risk of breast cancer

To examine the relation between alcohol consumption and breast cancer, the authors used data from the Centers for Disease Control's Cancer and Steroid Hormone Study, a multicenter population-based case-control study. Between August 1981 and December 1982, 3,498 US women aged 20-54 years with newly diagnosed breast cancer and 3,157 women aged 20-54 years selected at random from the same geographic areas were asked about their consumption of alcoholic beverages during the previous five years. Women who drank any alcohol had a risk of breast cancer of 1.0 (95% confidence interval 0.9-1.2) compared with nondrinkers. The risk of breast cancer did not increase appreciably with increasing alcohol consumption: Risk estimates for women consuming 8-14, 15-21, and 22 or more drinks per week were 1.1, 1.0, and 1.2, respectively. The authors also found no notable differences by type of beverage or within specific risk factor subgroups. These findings do not support the hypothesis that alcohol consumption increases the risk of breast cancer.     

VITamins And Lifestyle cohort study: study design and characteristics of supplement users

Vitamin and mineral supplements are among the most commonly used drugs in the United States, despite limited evidence on their benefits or risks. This paper describes the design, implementation, and participant characteristics of the VITamins And Lifestyle (VITAL) Study, a cohort study of the associations of supplement use with cancer risk. A total of 77,738 men and women in western Washington State, aged 50-76 years, entered the study in 2000-2002 by completing a detailed questionnaire on supplement use, diet, and other cancer risk factors, and 70% provided DNA through self-collected buccal cell specimens. Supplement users were targeted in recruitment: 66% used multivitamins, 46% used individual vitamin C, 47% used individual vitamin E, and 46% used calcium, typically for 5-8 of the past 10 years. Analyses to identify confounding factors, the main study limitation, showed that regular nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug use, intake of fruits and vegetables, and recreational physical activity were strongly associated with supplement use (p < 0.001). The authors describe a follow-up system in which cancers, deaths, and changes of residence are tracked efficiently, primarily through linkage to public databases. These methods may be useful to other researchers implementing a large cohort study or designing a passive follow-up system.     

Alcohol consumption and the risk of gastric cancer

The relationship between alcohol drinking and gastric cancer risk was analyzed using data from a case-control study conducted in Northern Italy between 1985 and 1993 on 746 cases of histologically confirmed incident stomach cancer and 2,053 controls in hospital for acute nonneoplastic nondigestive tract diseases. Wine was the most frequently consumed alcoholic beverage, accounting for approximately 90% of all alcohol consumption. Compared with those who never drank wine, the odds ratios (OR) were 1.1 [95% confidence interval (CI) 0.9-1.3] for fewer than four drinks per day, 1.3 (95% CI 1.0-1.7) for four to fewer than six drinks per day, 1.6 (95% CI 1.1-2.4) for six to fewer than eight drinks per day, and 1.4 (95% CI 1.0-2.0) for eight or more drinks per day. No association was observed with beer or spirits. For total alcohol consumption, 25% of cases and 30% of controls never drank alcohol, and the multivariate OR for those who drank versus those who did not drink was 1.1 (95% CI 0.9-1.4). After allowance for smoking, education, family history of stomach cancer, selected micronutrient intake, and nonalcohol calorie intake, the ORs were 1.1 (95% CI 0.9-1.4) for fewer than six drinks per day, 1.0 (95% CI 0.4-1.4) for six to fewer than eight drinks per day, and 1.3 (95% CI 0.9-1.9) for eight or more drinks per day, and the trend in risk was not significant. No interaction was observed between alcohol drinking and sex, family history, and smoking, but the association with alcohol drinking was appreciably stronger in the elderly and in less-educated individuals. Thus this large data set was able to exclude a strong and consistent association between alcohol (mainly wine) drinking and stomach cancer risk. A nonsignificant association was observed in those who drank very heavily, but the absence of a dose-risk relationship suggests that even such a moderate association may reflect inadequate allowance for covariates or the presence of other risk factors (possibly related to diet and social class) among the heaviest drinkers.     

Specialty Supplements and Prostate Cancer Risk in the VITamins And Lifestyle (VITAL) Cohort

Although there is evidence from studies of prostate cancer cell lines and rodent models that several supplements may have antiinflammatory, antioxidant, or other anticancer properties, few epidemiologic studies have examined the association between nonvitamin, nonmineral, “specialty” supplement use and prostate cancer risk. Participants, 50–76 yr, were 35,239 male members of the VITamins and Lifestyle (VITAL) cohort who were residents of western Washington state, and who completed an extensive baseline questionnaire in 2000–2002. Participants responded about their frequency (days/wk) and duration (yr) of specialty supplement uses. 1,602 incident invasive prostate cancers were obtained from the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results registry. Multivariate-adjusted hazards ratios (HR) and 95% confidence intervals (95% CI) were estimated by Cox proportional hazards models. Any use of grapeseed supplements was associated with a 41% (HR 0.59, 95% CI: 0.40–0.86) reduced risk of total prostate cancer. There were no associations for use of chondroitin, coenzyme Q10, fish oil, garlic, ginkgo biloba, ginseng, glucosamine, or saw palmetto. Grapeseed may be a potential chemopreventive agent; however, as current evidence is limited, it should not yet be promoted for prevention of prostate cancer.     

饮酒与男性肺癌发病关系的前瞻性队列研究

目的 研究我国男性饮酒与肺癌发病风险之间的关联。方法 对开滦集团队列（2006－2015年）男性人群每两年随访一次,收集饮酒相关信息及肺癌发病资料;此外,检索开滦附属医院医疗信息系统、开滦集团社保系统、唐山市医疗保险系统,补充收集随访过程中可能遗漏的肺癌新发病例。以不饮酒人群为参比组,利用Cox风险比例回归模型分别分析饮酒频率、饮酒类型与男性肺癌发病风险的关联,计算发病风险比（HR）及其95% CI。按照吸烟状况对研究人群分层,分别分析从不吸烟与既往吸烟/现在吸烟人群中饮酒与肺癌发病的关联。结果 共纳入101 751名男性,总随访808 146.56人年,中位随访时间8.88年,共收集肺癌新发病例913名。调整年龄、吸烟状态、吸烟量、文化程度、粉尘暴露、BMI等潜在的混杂因素后,既往饮酒、现在饮酒频率<1次/d、现在饮酒频率≥1次/d人群肺癌发病风险HR值（95% CI）分别为1.30（0.90～1.88）、0.80（0.64～1.01）和1.04（0.85～1.27）。饮用啤酒/红酒（HR=0.91,95% CI：0.69～1.20）和饮用白酒（HR=0.99,95% CI：0.83～1.19）与肺癌发病无统计学关联。依据吸烟状况分层分析,所得结果类似。结论 本研究结果尚不支持饮酒与男性肺癌发病风险存在关联。     

Alcohol consumption and risk of lung cancer: a pooled analysis of cohort studies

BACKGROUND: Although smoking is the primary cause of lung cancer, much is unknown about lung cancer etiology, including risk determinants for nonsmokers and modifying factors for smokers. OBJECTIVE: We hypothesized that alcohol consumption contributes to lung cancer risk. DESIGN: We conducted a pooled analysis using standardized exposure and covariate data from 7 prospective studies with 399,767 participants and 3137 lung cancer cases. Study-specific relative risks (RRs) and CIs were estimated and then combined to calculate pooled multivariate RRs by using a random-effects model. RESULTS: We found a slightly greater risk for the consumption of > or = 30 g alcohol/d than for that of 0 g alcohol/d in men (RR: 1.21; 95% CI: 0.91, 1.61; P for trend = 0.03) and in women (RR: 1.16; 95% CI: 0.94, 1.43; P for trend = 0.03). In male never smokers, the RR for consumption of > or = 15 g alcohol/d rather than 0 g alcohol/d was 6.38 (95% CI: 2.74, 14.9; P for trend < 0.001). In women, there were few never-smoking cases and no evidence of greater risk (RR: 1.35; 95% CI: 0.64, 2.87). Because of possible residual confounding by smoking, we performed sensitivity analyses by reclassifying the never smokers in the highest drinking category as former smokers. Resulting associations for alcohol consumption were somewhat attenuated, but P for trend = 0.05 for men, which was near the original P = 0.03. CONCLUSIONS: A slightly greater risk of lung cancer was associated with the consumption of > or = 30 g alcohol/d than with no alcohol consumption. Alcohol consumption was strongly associated with greater risk in male never smokers. Residual confounding by smoking may explain part of the observed relation.     

Alcohol consumption and risk of prostate cancer: The Harvard Alumni Health Study

BACKGROUND: Although many studies suggest that consumption of alcohol increases the risk of several site-specific cancers, the evidence remains unclear for prostate cancer. Few data exist on beverage-specific associations as well as lifetime patterns of alcohol consumption and prostate cancer risk. METHODS: We prospectively followed 7612 Harvard alumni (mean age 66.6 years) from 1988 through 1993, during which 366 cases of incident prostate cancer occurred. Self-reported alcohol consumption was assessed at baseline from wine, beer, and liquor intake. Previous assessments during college and in 1977 were also available. RESULTS: Overall, the mean total alcohol consumption in 1988 was 123.1 g/week, of which 28.6% was from wine, 15.8% from beer, and 55.6% from liquor. Compared to men reporting almost never drinking alcohol in 1988, the multivariate relative risks (95% CI) for 1 drink/month to < 3 drinks/week, 3 drinks/week to < 1 drink/ day, 1 to < 3 drinks/day, and > or = 3 drinks/day were 1.33 (0.88-2.01), 1.65 (1.12-2.44), 1.85 (1.29-2.64), and 1.33 (0.86-2.05), respectively. Wine or beer consumption was unassociated with prostate cancer; however, moderate liquor consumption was associated with a significant 61-67% increased risk of prostate cancer (P, non-linear trend < 0.001). Men initiating alcohol consumption between 1977 and 1988 had a twofold increased risk of prostate cancer compared to men with almost no alcohol consumption at both times. CONCLUSIONS: In contrast to the majority of previous studies, we found a positive association between moderate alcohol consumption and the risk of prostate cancer. Liquor, but not wine or beer, consumption was positively associated with prostate cancer.     

Alcohol consumption and the risk of endometrial cancer: a meta-analysis

Epidemiologic findings are inconsistent concerning the association of endometrial cancer risk with alcohol consumption. Therefore, we conduct a meta-analysis of studies that assessed the association of alcohol consumption and the risk of endometrial cancer. A systematic literature search up to April 2010 was performed in MEDLINE and EMBASE, and study-specific risk estimates were pooled using a random-effects model. In the present study, six prospective and 14 case-control studies were included. Alcohol intake was not significantly associated with the risk of endometrial cancer among prospective studies (relative risk (RR): 1.04; 95% confidence interval (CI): 0.91-1.18) or among case-control studies (odds ratio (OR): 0.89; 95% CI: 0.76-1.05). However evidence from the results of our stratified analyses revealed that increased risk of endometrial cancer was associated with liquor consumption (RR: 1.22; 95% CI: 1.03-1.45) but null association with wine and beer consumption. In conclusion, alcohol consumption is not associated with the risk of endometrial cancer. Future studies should also examine whether the relation varies according to different type of alcoholic beverages.     

Alcohol consumption and risk of colorectal cancer: the Findrink study

We investigated the association between alcohol consumption and colorectal cancer because previous studies have yielded conflicting results. As part of the Findrink study, data from the Kuopio Ischaemic Heart Disease (KIHD) Risk Factor Study were analysed. The KIHD study is a cohort of 2,682 men from Eastern Finland with no history of cancer at baseline. The men were grouped into five groups according to their weekly alcohol intake in grams. Association between alcohol and colorectal cancer was examined using Cox proportional hazard models. There were 59 cases of colorectal cancer during an average follow up of 16.7 years. Men within the highest quintile of alcohol consumption had a median weekly alcohol intake of 198.8 g. Age and examination year adjusted risk ratio of colorectal cancer among men within the highest quintile of alcohol consumption was 4.4 (95% CI: 1.6-11.9, P-value = 0.004). After adjusting for potential confounders, such as vegetable consumption, fibre intake, smoking, family history of cancer, socio-economic status, leisure time physical activity, men with the highest amount of alcohol consumption still had a 3.5-fold (95% CI: 1.2-9.9, P-value = 0.021) increased risk of colorectal cancer. Exclusion of men diagnosed with colorectal cancer during the first 2 years of follow up from the analyses did not alter the risk increase. In conclusion, this study gives further evidence of a positive association between alcohol consumption and the risk of colorectal cancer.     

Alcohol consumption and bladder cancer risk: results from The Netherlands Cohort Study

Although several epidemiologic studies have been conducted on alcohol consumption and bladder cancer risk, the risk according to quantity and type of alcohol consumed is not clear. The authors investigated these associations in a large prospective cohort study on diet and cancer among 120,852 subjects in the Netherlands aged 55-69 years at baseline (1986). Subjects completed a questionnaire on risk factors for cancer, including alcohol consumption. Follow-up for incident cancer was established by record linkage to cancer registries. The case-cohort analysis was restricted to a follow-up period of 6.3 years and was based on 594 cases with bladder cancer and 3,170 subcohort members. The authors corrected for age and smoking in multivariable analyses. The incidence rate ratios for men who consumed <5, 5-<15, 15-<30, and > or =30 grams of alcohol per day were 1.49, 1.52, 1.16, and 1.63 compared with nondrinkers, respectively (p for trend = 0.13). Alcohol consumed from beer, wine, and liquor was associated with moderately elevated risks, although most were not statistically significant. The incidence rate ratios for women varied around unity. The results of this study do not suggest an important association between alcohol consumption and bladder cancer risk.     

Alcohol consumption and risk of cancer in humans: An overview

Recent epidemiologic data continue to support alcoholic beverage consumption as a cause of cancer of the mouth, pharynx, larynx, esophagus, and liver. The effect of a given alcohol intake on absolute risk of these cancers depends on the prevalence of other risk factors. Whether alcoholic beverage consumption is a cause of cancer of the breast or large bowel is unclear. Alcohol intake appears not to increase risk of cancer of the lung, bladder, prostate, stomach, ovary, endometrium, or of melanoma. Indirect epiidemiologic evidence suggests that alcohol may be a weak causal factor for pancreatic cancer. Additional research is needed to determine whether middle-aged women who drink moderately may experience a slight increase in longevity if they decrease alcohol intake. A number of biologically plausible mechanisms exist by which alcohol may cause cancer.