Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Meta-Analysis
. 2012 Jan 31;106(3):603-7.
doi: 10.1038/bjc.2011.585. Epub 2012 Jan 12.

Red and processed meat consumption and risk of pancreatic cancer: meta-analysis of prospective studies

S C Larsson  1 , A Wolk
Affiliations
Meta-Analysis

Red and processed meat consumption and risk of pancreatic cancer: meta-analysis of prospective studies

S C Larsson et al. Br J Cancer. .

Abstract

Background: Whether red and processed meat consumption is a risk factor for pancreatic cancer remains unclear. We conducted a meta-analysis to summarise the evidence from prospective studies of red and processed meat consumption and pancreatic cancer risk.

Methods: Relevant studies were identified by searching PubMed and EMBASE databases through November 2011. Study-specific results were pooled using a random-effects model.

Results: Eleven prospective studies, with 6643 pancreatic cancer cases, were included in the meta-analysis. An increase in red meat consumption of 120 g per day was associated with an overall relative risk (RR) of 1.13 (95% confidence interval (CI)=0.93-1.39; P(heterogeneity)<0.001). Red meat consumption was positively associated with pancreatic cancer risk in men (RR=1.29; 95% CI=1.08-1.53; P(heterogeneity)=0.28; five studies), but not in women (RR=0.93; 95% CI=0.74-1.16; P(heterogeneity)=0.21; six studies). The RR of pancreatic cancer for a 50 g per day increase in processed meat consumption was 1.19 (95% CI=1.04-1.36; P(heterogeneity)=0.46).

Conclusion: Findings from this meta-analysis indicate that processed meat consumption is positively associated with pancreatic cancer risk. Red meat consumption was associated with an increased risk of pancreatic cancer in men. Further prospective studies are needed to confirm these findings.

PubMed Disclaimer

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Relative risks of pancreatic cancer for a 120 g per day increase of red meat consumption. Squares indicate study-specific relative risks (size of the square reflects the study-specific statistical weight, i.e., the inverse of the variance); horizontal lines indicate 95% CIs; diamond indicates the summary relative risk estimate with its 95% CI. Test for heterogeneity: Q=43.05, P<0.001, I2=69.8%. All statistical tests were two-sided.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Relative risks of pancreatic cancer for a 50 g per day increase of processed meat consumption. Squares indicate study-specific relative risks (size of the square reflects the study-specific statistical weight, i.e., the inverse of the variance); horizontal lines indicate 95% CIs; diamond indicates the summary relative risk estimate with its 95% CI. Test for heterogeneity: Q=7.77, P=0.46, I2=0%. All statistical tests were two-sided.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

Comment in

References

    1. Aschebrook-Kilfoy B, Cross AJ, Stolzenberg-Solomon RZ, Schatzkin A, Hollenbeck AR, Sinha R, Ward MH (2011) Pancreatic cancer and exposure to dietary nitrate and nitrite in the NIH-AARP diet and health study. Am J Epidemiol 174(3): 305–315 - PMC - PubMed
    1. Chan DS, Lau R, Aune D, Vieira R, Greenwood DC, Kampman E, Norat T (2011) Red and processed meat and colorectal cancer incidence: meta-analysis of prospective studies. PLoS One 6(6): e20456. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Chao A, Thun MJ, Connell CJ, McCullough ML, Jacobs EJ, Flanders WD, Rodriguez C, Sinha R, Calle EE (2005) Meat consumption and risk of colorectal cancer. JAMA 293(2): 172–182 - PubMed
    1. Coss A, Cantor KP, Reif JS, Lynch CF, Ward MH (2004) Pancreatic cancer and drinking water and dietary sources of nitrate and nitrite. Am J Epidemiol 159(7): 693–701 - PubMed
    1. Coughlin SS, Calle EE, Patel AV, Thun MJ (2000) Predictors of pancreatic cancer mortality among a large cohort of United States adults. Cancer Causes Control 11(10): 915–923 - PubMed

Publication types