A meta-analysis of alcohol drinking and oral and pharyngeal cancers. Part 1: Overall results and dose-risk relation

Irene Tramacere, Eva Negri, Vincenzo Bagnardi, Werner Garavello, Matteo Rota, Lorenza Scotti, Farhad Islami, Giovanni Corrao, Paolo Boffetta, Carlo La Vecchia

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

82 Scopus citations

Abstract

Alcohol consumption, together with tobacco, is the best recognised risk factor for oral and pharyngeal cancers (OPC), but several important aspects of this association need to be further explored. In order to provide up to date and more precise quantification of the association between alcohol drinking and OPC risk, we conducted a meta-analysis of available data. We performed a PubMed search of articles published up to September 2009, and we identified 43 case-control and two cohort studies presenting results for at least three categories of alcohol drinking, including a total of 17,085 OPC cases. We derived meta-analytic summary estimates using random-effects models, and taking into account correlation between estimates. We also performed a dose-risk analysis using non-linear random-effects meta-regression models. The pooled relative risk (RR) was 1.21 (95% confidence interval, CI, 1.10-1.33) for ≤1 drink per day, and rose to 5.24 (95% CI, 4.36-6.30) for heavy alcohol drinking (≥4 drinks per day). The dose-risk analysis resulted in RR of 1.29 for 10 g ethanol/day, 3.24 for 50 g ethanol/day, 8.61 for 100 g ethanol/day, and 13.02 for 125 g ethanol/day. This meta-analysis provides more precise evidence of a gross excess of OPC risk for heavy alcohol drinkers. It also indicates an increased risk for moderate doses, i.e., ≤1 drink or 10 g ethanol/day.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)497-503
Number of pages7
JournalOral Oncology
Volume46
Issue number7
DOIs
StatePublished - Jul 2010

Keywords

  • Alcohol drinking
  • Dose-risk relation
  • Meta-analysis
  • Oral and pharyngeal caner
  • Systematic review

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