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Meta-Analysis
. 2016 Mar 12:16:212.
doi: 10.1186/s12885-016-2241-1.

Association between alcohol intake and the risk of pancreatic cancer: a dose-response meta-analysis of cohort studies

Ye-Tao Wang  1 , Ya-Wen Gou  1 , Wen-Wen Jin  1 , Mei Xiao  1 , Hua-Ying Fang  2
Affiliations
Meta-Analysis

Association between alcohol intake and the risk of pancreatic cancer: a dose-response meta-analysis of cohort studies

Ye-Tao Wang et al. BMC Cancer. .

Abstract

Background: Studies examining the association between alcohol intake and the risk of pancreatic cancer have given inconsistent results. The purpose of this study was to summarize and examine the evidence regarding the association between alcohol intake and pancreatic cancer risk based on results from prospective cohort studies.

Methods: We searched electronic databases consisting of PubMed, Ovid, Embase, and the Cochrane Library identifying studies published up to Aug 2015. Only prospective studies that reported effect estimates with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for the risk of pancreatic cancer, examining different alcohol intake categories compared with a low alcohol intake category were included. Results of individual studies were pooled using a random-effects model.

Results: We included 19 prospective studies (21 cohorts) reporting data from 4,211,129 individuals. Low-to-moderate alcohol intake had little or no effect on the risk of pancreatic cancer. High alcohol intake was associated with an increased risk of pancreatic cancer (risk ratio [RR], 1.15; 95% CI: 1.06-1.25). Pooled analysis also showed that high liquor intake was associated with an increased risk of pancreatic cancer (RR, 1.43; 95% CI: 1.17-1.74). Subgroup analyses suggested that high alcohol intake was associated with an increased risk of pancreatic cancer in North America, when the duration of follow-up was greater than 10 years, in studies scored as high quality, and in studies with adjustments for smoking status, body mass index, diabetes mellitus, and energy intake..

Conclusions: Low-to-moderate alcohol intake was not significantly associated with the risk of pancreatic cancer, whereas high alcohol intake was associated with an increased risk of pancreatic cancer. Furthermore, liquor intake in particular was associated with an increased risk of pancreatic cancer.

Keywords: Alcohol; Meta-analysis; Pancreatic cancer.

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Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Flow diagram of the literature search andstudies selection process
Fig. 2
Fig. 2
Summary of the relative risks for the association between alcohol intake and the risk of pancreatic cancer
Fig. 3
Fig. 3
Relative risk estimates of pancreatic cancer for different type of alcohol intake
Fig. 4
Fig. 4
Dose–response analysis for curvilinear association between alcohol intake and relative risks of pancreatic cancer
Fig. 5
Fig. 5
Funnel plot for the association between alcohol intake and the risk of pancreatic cancer
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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