Intake of specific carotenoids and flavonoids and the risk of gastric cancer in Spain

Objectives: To investigate the relationship between gastric cancer and the intake of specific carotenoids (- carotene, -carotene, lutein, and lycopene) and flavonoids (quercetin, kaempferol, myricetin, and luteolin) using new data on their concentration in foods.Methods: Case-control study carried out in Spain that included 354 cases of gastric cancer and 354 controls, matched by age, gender, area of residence and hospital. Usual food intake was assessed using a dietary history questionnaire.Results: In a multivariate model adjusted for several dietary factors, no association was found between intake of any of the studied carotenoids and the risk of gastric cancer. The adjusted OR of gastric cancer for the highest quartile of total flavonoid intake versus the lowest quartile was 0.44 (95 percent confidence interval [CI]=0.25–0.78; p for trend=0.003). Kaempferol intake was found to be protective (OR=0.48; CI=0.26–0.88; p for trend=0.04) comparing the highest versus the lowest quartile of intake. A trend toward lower risk of stomach cancer with higher intake of quercetin was also found.Conclusions: The results of this study support the hypothesis that the well-established protective effect of fruit and vegetables against gastric cancer could, in part, be due to the presence of flavonoids.     

Tobacco smoking,alcohol consumption,and risk of oral cancer: a case-control study in Beijing,People's Republic of China

A case-control study of oral cancer was conducted in Beijing, People's Republic of China (PRC). The study was hospital-based and controls were hospital in-patients matched for age and gender with the cases. The response rates for cases and controls were 100 percent and 404 case/control pairs were interviewed. Tobacco smoking and alcohol consumption emerged as independent risk factors for oral cancer. For tobacco smoking, the association was considerably stronger for smokers of pipes than for smokers of cigarettes. For all kinds of tobacco, expressed as cigarette equivalents, the odds ratio (OR) for total pack-years smoked, among males, rose from 1.0 in never-smokers to 3.7 (95 percent confidence interval, 1.8–7.4) in the highest quintile of exposure. Similar results were found for females. The association with tobacco consumption was strong for squamous cell carcinoma but there was no trend in risk associated with tobacco for adenocarcinomas and other histologic types. So few women reported consuming alcohol that this variable could be examined only in male. Risk in the highest category of total lifetime intake of alcohol relative to than in lifetime abstainers was 2.3 (1.1–4.8) with a significant trend in risk with increasing dose (P<0.002). The combined effects of tobacco and alcohol appear to be approximately multiplicative in males. The attributable risk of oral cancer for tobacco among tobacco smokers was estimated as 34 percent (45 percent among males and 21 percent among females); for alcohol consumption in males the estimate was 23 percent.Drs Zheng, Hu, and Niu are from the Department of Epidemiology, National Institute for Enviromental Health and Engineering, Chinese Academy of Pieventive Medicine, Beijing, People's Republic of China. Dr Boyle is with the Unit of Analytical Epidemiology, Internationat Agency for Research on Cancer, Lyon, France, where Dr Zheng beld a fellowship. Dr Duan is with the Beijing Union Hospital. Dr Jian is with the Cancer Institute, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences. Dr Ma is with the Beijing Medical University Stomatological Hospital, Dr Shui is with the Beijing Municipal Stomatological Hospital, Dr MacMabon is in the Department of Epidemiology, Harvard School of Public Health where Dr Zbeng was a graduate student. Address reprint requests to Dr Zheng at the Cancer Prevention Research Unit, Department of Epidemiology and Public Health, Yale University, School of Medicine, B.O. Box 3333, New Haven, CT 06310, USA, Dr Zbeng was supported, in part by a grant from the DuPont Company.     

Smoking,alcohol, coffee,tea, caffeine,and theobromine: risk of prostate cancer in Utah (United States)

Data from a population-based study of newly diagnosed cases of prostate cancer (n=362) and age-matched controls (n=685) conducted in Utah (United States) between 1983 and 1986 were used to determine if cigarette smoking, alcohol, coffee, tea, caffeine, and theobromine were associated with prostate cancer risk. These factors were examined since their use differs in the Utah population, which is comprised predominantly of members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS or Mormon), from most other populations. Pack-years of cigarettes smoked, alcohol intake, and consumption of alcohol, coffee, tea, and caffeine were not associated with prostate cancer risk. Compared with men with very low levels of theobromine intake, older men consuming 11 to 20 and over 20 mg of theobromine per day were at increased risk of prostate cancer (odds ratio [OR] for all tumors = 2.06, 95 percent confidence interval [CI]=1.33–3.20, and OR=1.47, CI=0.99–2.19, respectively; OR for aggressive tumors = 1.90, CI=0.90–3.97, and OR=1.74, CI=0.91–3.32, respectively). We present biological mechanisms for a possible association between prostate cancer and theobromine. This finding needs further exploration in studies with a wider range of theobromine exposures and more men with aggressive tumors.Dr Slattery is with the University of Utah School of Medicine, Salt Lake City, UT, USA. Dr West is with the Northerm California Cacer Center, Alameda, CA, USA. Address correspondence to Dr Slattery, Department of Family and Preventive Medicine, University of Utah School of Medicine, 50 North Medical Drive, Salt Lake City, UT 84132, USA. This study was supported in part by grant number CA 34804 from the US National Cancer Institute.     

A case-control study of stomach cancer and its relation to diet,cigarettes, and alcohol consumption in Saitama Prefecture,Japan

A case-control study of stomach cancer in relation to dietary, smoking, and drinking habits was undertaken in Saitama Prefectur, Japan. The study was based on 294 cases of newly diagnosed adenocarcinoma of the stomach at a single institution, 294 general population controls (matched by sex, age, and administrative division), and 202 hospital controls. Dietary habits were investigated based on the intake of 12 separate foods and 12 food groups in a food frequency questionnaire, together with individual food preferences. The consumption of raw vegetables was inversely related to the risk of stomach cancer, with a dose-response relation observed consistently in the comparisons with both sets of controls. Current cigarette smokers (1–29/day) had an increased risk (relative risk = 1.8,95 percent confidence interval = 1.1–3.0) compared with nonsmokers in the general population controls, but no dose-response effect with heavier cigarette smoking. Alcohol use did not affect the risk of stomach cancer. In the multiple logistic regression, the comsumption of raw vegetables showed a protective effect on stomach cancer while cigarette smoking had no significant association, in both sets of controls.Drs Hoshiyama and Sasaba are in the Department of Epidemiology, Saitama Cancer Center Research Institute, Japan. Address correspondence to Dr Hoshiyama, Komuro 818, Ina, Saitama 362, Japan.     

Alcoholic beverage consumption and risk of breast cancer in Spain

The relation between alcoholic beverage consumption and risk of breast cancer was examined. We used data from a population-based, case-control study that included almost all incident cases occurring in five Spanish regions from February 1990 to July 1991. A total of 762 women between 18 and 75 years of age, with a histologically confirmed, first diagnosis of breast cancer, were compared with 988 control women. Alcoholic beverage intake was measured by an interviewer-administered, semiquantitative food-frequency questionnaire. We used nondrinkers as the reference category and divided the remainder into four categories according to alcohol intake. The multiple logistic analyses included not only alcohol intake but also possible confounding factors such as total caloric intake, age, socioeconomic status, and reproductive and medical histories. Even at moderate levels of alcohol intake (less than 8 g/day), a 50 percent increase in risk of breast cancer was found. The trend across categories of intake was statistically significant for wine and distilled drinks, as well as total alcohol intake. Consumption of 20 g or more of alcohol per day was associated with a 70 percent elevation in breast cancer risk compared with that of nondrinkers (adjusted relative risk (RR)=1.7,95 percent confidence interval = 1.3–2.3). Although the magnitude of the RR observed in our study was modest, our findings provide further support for a positive association between alcohol consumption and risk of breast cancer.This work was supported by Grant No. 89/0059 from the Spanish Fondo de Investigacion Sanitaria. Dr Martin-Moreno is indebted to the Italian Fondazione per la Formazione Oncologica for awarding him a Paolo Baffi Fellowship in 1991–1992, and to the Spanish Fundacion Mapfre Medicina for a research fellowship award in 1991. Dr Gorgojo is a postdoctoral fellow of the Programa de Formación de Personal del Instituto de Salud Carlos III.     

Tobacco,alcohol intake,and diet in relation to adenocarcinoma of the esophagus and gastric cardia

Little is known about the etiology of adenocarcinoma of the distal esophagus/cardia, a cancer which has increased in incidence in the United States over the last two decades. We analyzed data on smoking, alcohol use, dietary intake, and other factors obtained from 173 hospitalized males with adenocarcinoma of the distal esophagus/cardia (cases) and 4,544 hospitalized males with diseases not related to smoking and of other organ systems than the gastrointestinal tract (controls). Cases of squamous cell carcinoma of the esophagus (n=136) and adenocarcinoma of the distal stomach (n=122) were included as separate case groups. All subjects were interviewed in 28 hospitals in eight cities in the US between 1981 and 1990. After adjustment for covariates, the odds ratio (OR) for adenocarcinoma of the distal esophagus/cardia for current smokers was 2.3 (95 percent confidence interval [CI]=1.4–3.9) and that for ex-smokers was 1.9 (CI=1.2–3.0) relative to never-smokers. The OR for drinkers of four or more ounces of whiskey-equivalents of alcohol per day (relative to those consuming less than one drink per week) was 2.3 (CI=1.3–4.3). Intakes of total fat and vitamin A from animal sources were significant risk factors and fiber intake was associated inversely with adenocarcinoma of the distal esophagus/cardia. Although the number of female cases of adenocarcinoma of the distal esophagus/cardia was small (n=21), significant associations were observed for smoking and alcohol.Dr Kabat is in the Department of Epidemiology and Social Medicine, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, NY, USA. At the time of this work be was with the Division of Epidemiology, American Health Foundation, New York, NY. Drs Ng and Wynder are with the Division of Epidemiology, American Health Foundation. Address correspondence to Dr Kabat, Department of Epidemiology and Social Medicine, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Belfer Bldg, Rm 1302, 1300 Morris Park Avenue, Bronx, NY 10461, USA. Supported by National Cancer Institute Program Project grant CA32617 and Center grant CA17613.     

A prospective study of coffee intake and pancreatic cancer: results from the NIH-AARP Diet and Health Study

Background:

Evidence evaluating the association between type of coffee intake (caffeinated, decaffeinated) and risk of pancreatic cancer is limited.

Methods:

In the US NIH-AARP Diet and Health Study, we used Cox proportional hazards regression to estimate hazard ratios and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for coffee intake and risk of pancreatic cancer among 457 366 US adults.

Results:

Over 4 155 256 person-years of follow-up, 1541 incident first primary pancreatic cancers occurred. Following detailed adjustment for tobacco smoking history, risk estimates for coffee drinking were not statistically significant; compared with never drinkers of coffee, the hazard ratios (95% CI) were 1.05 (0.85–1.30), 1.06 (0.86–1.31), 1.03 (0.85–1.25), 1.00 (0.79–1.25), and 1.24 (0.93–1.65) for <1, 1, 2–3, 4–5, and ≥6 cups per day, respectively (P-value for trend 0.46). The observed null association was consistent across all examined strata (sex, smoking status, coffee caffeination, and prevalent diabetes).

Conclusions:

In a prospective study of coffee intake with the largest number of pancreatic cancer cases to date, we did not observe an association between total, caffeinated, or decaffeinated coffee intake and pancreatic cancer.     

Tobacco,alcohol, and diet in the etiology of laryngeal cancer: a population-based case-control study

Cancer of the larynx constitutes an increasingly important problem in Polish males during the last 25 years. A population-based case-control study of laryngeal cancer among people under 65 years of age was conducted in Lower Silesia, a province in Southwest Poland, from 1986 to 1987, with 249 newly-diagnosed cancer cases and 965 controls. The estimated relative risk (RR) for smoking and alcohol are both very high: for smoking more than 30 cigarettes, RR=59.7 (95 percent confidence interval [CI]: 13.0–274); for drinking vodka regularly for more than 30 years, RR=10.4 (95 percent CI: 4.0–27.2). Exposures to alcohol and tobacco show a clear multiplicative effect in all categories of exposure. The risk was shown to be reduced by quitting smoking (RR=0.3, 95 percent CI: 0.14–0.64, after 10 years) or by having a history of intermittent smoking. Poor nutrition was also identified as a strong independent risk factor. However, data quality regarding this factor is not as high as for tobacco and alcohol. Smoking alone accounts in this study for an estimated 95.2 percent of all the cases of laryngeal cancer.This work was conducted within the framework of the PR-6 Cancer Control in Poland-National Cancer Program and was supported by the Humboldt Foundation.     

Oesophageal cancer in women: tobacco, alcohol, nutritional and hormonal factors

We analysed 3 case-control studies from Italy and Switzerland including 114 women with squamous cell oesophageal cancer and 425 controls. The multivariate odds ratio was 4.5 for heavy smoking and 5.4 for heavy alcohol drinking. Fruit intake, vegetable intake, oral contraceptive and HRT use were inversely related to oesophageal cancer.     

Body mass,tobacco and alcohol and risk of esophageal,gastric cardia,and gastric non-cardia adenocarcinoma among men and women in a nested case-control study

Objectives: To prospectively assess the influence of body mass index (BMI), tobacco, and alcohol on the occurrence of esophageal, gastric cardia, and non-cardia gastric adenocarcinoma, and to detect any sex differences that could explain the male predominance of these tumors.Methods: A case-control study nested in the General Practitioner Research Database in the United Kingdom, 1994–2001. Odds ratios (ORs) were calculated with 95% confidence intervals (CI), including multivariate analysis.Results: During follow-up of 4,340,207 person-years, we identified 287 esophageal adenocarcinomas, 195 gastric cardia adenocarcinomas, 327 gastric non-cardia adenocarcinomas, and 10,000 controls. A positive association was found between overweight (BMI > 25 kg/m²) and esophageal adenocarcinoma (OR 1.67, 95% CI 1.22–2.30), and gastric cardia adenocarcinoma (OR 1.46, 95% CI 0.98–2.18), but not non-cardia gastric adenocarcinoma. The association between BMI and esophageal and gastric cardia adenocarcinoma were dose-dependent and seemingly independent of reflux. No strong sex differences were identified. Smokers, particularly females, were at increased risk of all studied adenocarcinomas, while no association with alcohol was found.Conclusions: Overweight increases risk of esophageal and gastric cardia adenocarcinoma, while tobacco smoking increases risk of esophageal, gastric cardia, and non-cardia gastric adenocarcinoma. The male predominance is not explained by sex differences in risk factor profiles of the studied exposures.Grant support: AstraZeneca R&D and the Swedish Cancer Society.     

Combined effect of tobacco and alcohol on laryngeal cancer risk: a case-control study

Objective: To provide information on the effects of alcohol and tobacco on laryngeal cancer and its subsites. Methods: This was a case–control study conducted between 1992 and 2000 in northern Italy and Switzerland. A total of 527 cases of incident squamous-cell carcinoma of the larynx and 1297 hospital controls frequency-matched with cases on age, sex, and area of residence were included. Odds ratios (ORs) and corresponding 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were estimated using multiple logistic regression. Results: In comparison with never smokers, ORs were 19.8 for current smokers and 7.0 for ex-smokers. The risk increased in relation to the number of cigarettes (OR = 42.9 for 25 cigarettes/day) and for duration of smoking (OR = 37.2 for 40 years). For alcohol, the risk increased in relation to number of drinks (OR = 5.9 for 56 drinks per week). Combined alcohol and tobacco consumption showed a multiplicative (OR = 177) rather than an additive risk. For current smokers and current drinkers the risk was higher for supraglottis (ORs 54.9 and 2.6, respectively) than for glottis (ORs 7.4 and 1.8) and others subsites (ORs 10.9 and 1.9). Conclusions: Our study shows that both cigarette smoking and alcohol drinking are independent risk factors for laryngeal cancer. Heavy consumption of alcohol and cigarettes determined a multiplicative risk increase, possibly suggesting biological synergy.     

Female mortality trends in Spain due to tumors associated with tobacco smoking

Age- and period-specific mortality rates for esophageal, laryngeal, lung, and bladder cancers in Spanish women from 1952 to 1986 were analyzed using an age-period-cohort model for each location. The four sites exhibit a similar pattern, characterized by a decline in mortality (cohort effect) in post-1900 generations. In the case of cancers of the esophagus and larynx, the model and curvature analysis show a slight rise in mortality in post-1932 generations. In cancers of the esophagus and lung, the period effect parallels the trend traced by the cohort effect. Prevalence estimates of smoking among women in Spain would seem to suggest that the degree of exposure in cohorts studied has been very low. The study indicates that smoking in Spanish women is relatively frequent only in recent generations and that this exposure has not produced, as yet, relevant variations in time trends. Special attention should be paid to the well known synergistic effect of smoking and alcohol consumption, which might already have determined changes in esophageal and laryngeal mortality.Drs Lopez-Abente, Pollán, and Jiménez are with the Cancer Epidemiology Unit of the National Center for Epidemiology, Carlos III Institute of Health, Madrid, Spain. Dr Jiménez is presently with the Preventive Medicine Unit, Camino de Santiago Hospital, Ponferrada, Spain. Address correspondence to Dr López-Abente, Servicio de Epidemiología del Cáncer, Centro Nacional de Epidemiología, Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Sinesio Delgado, 6, 28029 Madrid, Spain.     

Smoking, alcohol and gastric cancer risk in Korean men: the National Health Insurance Corporation Study

We investigated the risk of gastric cancer by subsite in relation to cigarette smoking and alcohol in a large population-based cohort of 669 570 Korean men in an insurance plan followed for an average 6.5 years, yielding 3452 new cases of gastric cancer, of which 127 were cardia and upper-third gastric cancer, 2409 were distal gastric cancer and 1007 were unclassified. A moderate association was found between smoking, cardia and upper-third (adjusted relative risk (aRR) 2.2; 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.4-3.5) and distal cancers (aRR=1.4; 95% CI=1.3-1.6). We also found a positive association between alcohol consumption and distal (aRR=1.3; 95% CI=1.2-1.5) and total (aRR=1.2; 95% CI=1.1-1.4) gastric cancer. Combined exposure to high levels of tobacco and alcohol increased the risk estimates further; cardia and upper-third gastric cancers were more strongly related to smoking status than distal gastric cancer.British Journal of Cancer (2007) 97, 700-704. doi:10.1038/sj.bjc.6603893 www.bjcancer.com Published online 17 July 2007.     

The role of alcohol, tobacco, and dietary factors in upper aerogastric tract cancers: a prospective study of 10,900 Norwegian men

Previous knowledge on risk factors for oral, pharyngeal, laryngeal, and esophageal cancer has been based mainly on case-control studies. In the present study, the impact of alcohol consumption, tobacco smoking, and dietary factors on upper aerogastric tract cancer risk was studied in a cohort of 10,960 Norwegian men followed from 1968 through 1992, in which period a total of 71 upper aerogastric tract cancers occurred. The relative risk (RR) of cancer was 3.9 (95 percent confidence interval [CI] = 2.1-7.1) for the highest consumption group of alcohol and 4.7 (CI = 1.7-13.2) for the highest smoking level, compared with the respective reference groups. Among the dietary items, high consumption of oranges was associated with reduced cancer risk (RR = 0.5, CI = 0.3-1.0), as was high consumption of bread (RR = 0.2, CI = 0.1-0.5). Frequent consumption of beef and bacon increased relative cancer risk bordering on significance. The present results are largely in accordance with previous studies. The decreased risk associated with a high intake of bread deserves further investigation.     

Cigarette smoking,alcohol consumption and subsequent gastric cancer risk by subsite and histologic type

The effect of cigarette smoking or alcohol consumption on the risk of gastric cancer has not been clarified. We investigated this relationship, considering the anatomic subsite and histologic type of gastric cancer. A total of 19,657 men (aged 40-59 years at baseline), who responded to the baseline questionnaire and reported no serious illness at that time, were followed for 10 years, from January 1990 to December 1999. Gastric cancer was confirmed histologically in 293 men. Smoking was associated with an increased risk of the differentiated type of distal gastric cancer; compared to the group who never smoked, the adjusted rate ratios (RRs) of gastric cancer for past and current smokers were 2.0 (95% CI 1.1-3.7) and 2.1 (95% CI 1.2-3.6), respectively. No association was observed between cigarette smoking and risk of the undifferentiated type of distal gastric cancer except for a suggestive association with cardia cancer. For alcohol consumption, elevated risk was suggested only for cardia cancer of all histologic types, though the relationship failed to reach significance. Among those who drank alcohol at least once per week, RRs for ethanol intake of 2.7-161.0, 162.0-322.0 and 322.5+ g/week compared to those who drank 0-3 times/month were 2.5 (95% CI 0.7-9.5), 3.3 (0.9-11.6) and 3.0 (0.8-11.1), respectively (p(trend) = 0.66). In conclusion, our results confirm that smoking is related to gastric cancer of the differentiated type. Further studies with more cases are needed to detect a positive association between cigarette smoking or alcohol consumption and cardia cancer.     

Childhood cancer and parental use of tobacco: findings from the inter-regional epidemiological study of childhood cancer (IRESCC)

Parental smoking data have been re-abstracted from the interview records of the Inter-Regional Epidemiological Study of Childhood Cancer (IRESCC) to test further the hypothesis that paternal cigarette smoking is a risk factor for the generality of childhood cancer. Reported cigarette smoking habits for the parents of 555 children diagnosed with cancer in the period 1980-1983 were compared, in two separate matched pairs analyses, with similar information for the parents of 555 children selected from GP lists (GP controls) and for the parents of 555 hospitalized children (hospital controls). When cases were compared with GP controls there was a statistically significant positive trend (P = 0.02) between the risk of childhood cancer and paternal daily consumption of cigarettes before the pregnancy; there was no significant trend for maternal smoking habit. When cases were compared with hospital controls there was a statistically significant negative trend (P< 0.001) between the risk of childhood cancer and maternal daily consumption of cigarettes before the pregnancy; there was no significant trend for paternal smoking habit. Neither of the significant trends could be explained by adjustment for socioeconomic grouping, ethnic origin or parental age at the birth of the child, or by simultaneous analysis of parental smoking habits. Relations between maternal consumption of cigarettes and birth weights suggested that (maternal) smoking data were equally reliable for case and control subjects, although comparisons with national data suggested that the hospital control parents were unusually heavy smokers. These findings give some support for the hypothesis that paternal cigarette smoking is a potential risk factor for the generality of childhood cancers.     

胸苷酸合成酶基因多态性及烟酒茶嗜好与贲门癌易感性的关系

目的 :研究胸苷酸合成酶TS3′ UTR多态性及其和烟酒茶嗜好相互作用与贲门癌易感性的关系。方法 :在上消化道癌高发区淮安市进行了一个病例对照研究 (贲门癌 89例 ,人群对照 2 2 3例 ) ,调查研究对象的生活习惯 ,采用PCR RFLP技术检测研究对象的TS 3′ UTR基因型。结果 :贲门癌组TS 6/ 6bp、 6/-6bp和 -6/-6bp基因型频率分别为7 9%、43 8%和 48 3 % ,与对照组( 8 1%、5 4 3 %和 3 7 7% )相比差异无统计学意义。与携带TS 6bp等位基因且不吸烟、每周饮酒 <2次和饮茶者相比 ,在吸烟、每周饮酒≥ 2次和不饮茶者中 ,携带TS -6/-6bp基因型者发生贲门癌的危险性显著上升 ,调整后的OR分别为 3 99( 95 %CI:1 5 1～ 10 5 0 )、3 2 2 ( 95 %CI :1 2 1～8 5 5 )和 6 14 ( 95 %CI:2 3 9～ 15 77)。结论 :TS 3′ UTR基因多态性影响吸烟、饮酒和饮茶与贲门癌之间的关系     

Meta-analysis of smoking and the risk of gastric cancer among the Chinese population

OBJECTIVE To reevaluate the effect of tobacco smoking on the risk of developing gastric cancer among the Chinese population. METHODS Thirty articles from the literature both in Chinese and English from January, 1988 to present were identified and from which adjusted odd ratios （ORs） or relative risks （RRs） were combined by meta-analysis. Generalized least squares （GLS） for trend estimation of summarized dose-response data was carried out. All the analyses were performed using software of STATA version 10.0. RESULTS Comparing current smokers with subjects who have never smoked, the summary effect values on gastric cancer with a 95% confidence interval （CI） were 1.67 （1.43-1.96） for casecontrol studies and 1.52 （1.17-1.96） for cohort studies, respectively. The combined effect values with a 95%CI for the comparison of smoking quantity of current smokers with the referent group were 1.41 （1.15-1.72） for case-control studies and 1.24 （1.02-1.52） for cohort studies, respectively. The combined effect values with a 95%CI for the comparison of accumulative years smoked of current smokers with the referent group were 1.07 （0.89-1.28） for case-control studies and 1.28 （0.95-1.74） for cohort studies, respectively. Dose-response meta-analysis showed that the gastric cancer risk will increase 50% （OR = 1.50, 95%CI： 1.34-1.67） with each 20 cigarette per day increment and increase 14% （OR = 1.14, 95%CI： 1.10-1.18） with each 10 year increment of smoking. CONCLUSION The gastric cancer risk among the Chinese population is significantly associated with tobacco smoking and the smoking quantity per day. Smoking cessation should be more strongly advocated.     

Cigarette smoking and alcohol consumption and the risk of pancreatic cancer: a case-control study in Shanghai,China

Cancer of the pancreas has been rising in incidence in Shanghai, China since the early 1970s. In 1987–89, this malignancy ranked eighth in cancer incidence among men and ninth among women in Shanghai. To examine risk factors for this tumor in urban Shanghai, a population-based case-control study was conducted. Cases (n=451) were permanent residents of Shanghai, 30 to 74 years of age, newly diagnosed with pancreatic cancer between 1 October 1990 and 30 June 1993. Deceased cases (19 percent) were excluded from the study. Controls (n=1,552) were selected among Shanghai residents, frequency-matched to cases by gender and age. Cases and controls were interviewed about their demographic background and potential risk factors, including tobacco, alcohol and beverage consumption, diet, and medical history. Adjusted odds ratios (OR) and 95 percent confidence intervals (CI) were estimated using logistic regression models. Current cigarette smoking was associated with excess risk of pancreatic cancer in both men (OR=1.6, CI=1.1–2.2) and women (OR=1.4, CI=0.9–2.4). ORs increased significantly with number of cigarettes smoked per day, and with duration and packyears of smoking. Risk increased three-to sixfold among those in the highest categories of cigarette consumption, while risk decreased with increasing years since smoking cessation. Former smokers who stopped smoking for 10 or more years had risks comparable to nonsmokers. No association was found between alcohol use and pancreatic cancer. After adjustment for potential confounding factors, it was estimated that during the study period, nearly 25 percent of pancreatic cancer cases among men and six percent of cases among women could be attributed to smoking. Our findings add to the accumulating evidence linking smoking and pancreatic cancer, and suggest that the rising incidence of this malignancy in Shanghai may be related at least partly to the increasing prevalence of smoking.Dr Ji, formerly with the Shanghai Cancer InstituteDr McLaughlin, formerly with the National Cancer InstituteDr Hatch, formerly with Columbia University     

Joint and independent effect of alcohol and tobacco use on the risk of subsequent cancer incidence among cancer survivors: A cohort study using cancer registries

Drinking alcohol and smoking tobacco are major modifiable risk factors for cancer. However, little is known about whether these modifiable factors of cancer survivors are associated with subsequent primary cancer (SPC) incidence, regardless of the first cancer sites. 27,762 eligible cancer survivors diagnosed between 1985 and 2007 were investigated for SPC until the end of 2008, using hospital‐based and population‐based cancer registries. The association between drinking, smoking and combined drinking and smoking (interaction) at the time of the first cancer diagnosis and incidence of SPCs (i.e., all SPCs, alcohol‐related, smoking‐related and specific SPCs) was estimated by Poisson regression. Compared with never‐drinker/never‐smoker, the categories ever‐drinker/ever‐smoker, current‐drinker/current‐smoker and heavy‐drinker/heavy‐smoker had 43–108%, 51–126% and 167–299% higher risk for all, alcohol‐related and tobacco‐related SPCs, respectively. The interaction of drinking and smoking had significantly high incidence rate ratios (IRRs) for SPCs among ever‐drinker/ever‐smoker and current‐drinker/current‐smoker, although ever drinking did not show a significant risk. Ever‐drinker/ever‐smoker had also significantly higher IRRs for esophageal and lung SPCs than never‐drinker/never‐smoker. Among comprehensive cancer survivors, ever and current drinkers only had a SPC risk when combined with smoking, while ever and current smokers had a SPC risk regardless of drinking status. Heavy drinking and heavy smoking were considered to be independent additive SPC risk factors. To reduce SPC incidence, it may be necessary (i) to reduce or stop alcohol use, (ii) to stop tobacco smoking and (iii) dual users, especially heavy users, should be treated as a high‐risk population for behavioral‐change intervention.