Heavy drinking boosts death risk from pancreatic cancer
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Michael J. Thun, MD, MS of American Cancer Society in Atlanta, Georgia and colleagues published a study on March 14, 2011 in Archives of Internal Medicine suggesting drinking too much alcohol may increase risk of dying from pancreatic cancer.
Thun et al. found drinking alcohol could increase risk of death from pancreatic cancer by up to 25 percent, compared with those who did not drink.
The researchers analysed dietary data self-reported in 1982 by 1,030,467 participants aged 30 or older in the Cancer Prevention Study II. During the follow-up through Dec 31, 2006, 6847 pancreatic cancer deaths were identified.
Using a statistical model, Thun et al. found that compared with non-drinkers, those who drank less than one, one, two, three, four or more drinks per day were 6, 6, 25, and 17 percent more likely, respectively, to die from pancreatic cancer.
Among the never-smokers, those who used three or more drinks per day were 36 percent more likely to die from pancreatic cancer, compared with non-drinkers.
Among the ever-smokers, those who consumed three or more drinks per day were 16 percent more likely to die from the disease, compared with non-drinkers.
Those who drank liquor faced a 32 percent increased risk of dying from pancreatic cancer, but beer and wine drinkers were not at an increased risk.
The researchers concluded "These results strengthen the evidence that alcohol consumption, specifically liquor consumption of 3 or more drinks per day, increases pancreatic cancer mortality independent of smoking."
David Liu
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