Heavy drinking not linked to common type of gullet cancer

Alcohol intake and risk of esophageal adenocarcinoma: A pooled analysis from the BEACON Consortium

2011-03-15

(Press-News.org) Heavy drinking is not associated with one of the two most common types of gullet (oesophageal) cancer, suggests research published online in Gut.

Gullet cancer is the sixth leading cause of cancer death worldwide and occurs as one of two main types: squamous cell carcinoma or adenocarcinoma.

But while rates of gullet adenocarcinoma have soared in many Western countries over the past three decades, those of squamous cell carcinoma have been falling. The squamous cell variety is strongly linked to alcohol consumption.

The authors pooled data from 11 international studies, involving 15,000 participants and 4,600 cases in the Barrett's Esophagus and Esophageal Adenocarcinoma Consortium (BEACON) on both types of gullet cancer, plus another arising at the junction of the lower gullet and the stomach (oesophagogastric junction or OGJA for short).

Heavy drinkers - seven or more alcoholic drinks a day - were more than 9.5 times as likely to develop oesophageal squamous cell carcinoma as non-drinkers.

But the authors found no evidence linking this level of alcohol consumption, or, for that matter, any particular type of alcohol, to heightened risk of either oesophageal adenocarcinoma or OGJA.

And light drinkers - half to one unit of alcohol daily - had a lower risk of these gullet cancers than non-drinkers, although low alcohol consumption could simply reflect other aspects of a healthy lifestyle, or chance, say the authors.

"Our results for [oesophageal adenocarcinoma] and OGJA stand in remarkable contrast to results for [oesophageal squamous cell carcinoma] in this and previously published studies," comment the authors.

The findings suggest that the risk factors for gullet cancer vary according to the type of disease, they say, adding that other research suggests that weight, smoking, and infection with Helicobacter pylori also confer different levels of risk for the two most common forms of this cancer.

### END

ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:

Impact of a bad job on mental health as harmful as no job at all

2011-03-15

The impact on mental health of a badly paid, poorly supported, or short term job can be as harmful as no job at all, indicates research published online in Occupational and Environmental Medicine. Because being in work is associated with better mental health than unemployment, government policies have tended to focus on the risks posed by joblessness, without necessarily considering the impact the quality of a job may have, say the authors. They base their findings on seven waves of data from more than 7000 people of working age, drawn from a representative national ...

Climate-related disasters may provide opportunities for some rural poor, study suggests

2011-03-15

COLUMBUS, Ohio – A new study in Honduras suggests that climate-related weather disasters may sometimes actually provide opportunities for the rural poor to improve their lives. Researchers found that that the poorest inhabitants of a small village in northeastern Honduras increased their land wealth and their share of earnings relative to more wealthy residents after Hurricane Mitch devastated their village in October 1998. The findings offer a glimmer of hope from widespread concerns that the world's poor will suffer the most from shocks created by global climate change. "In ...

Lambs provide crucial link in understanding obesity

2011-03-15

The research, published today (Tuesday March 15 2011) in The Journal of Physiology, shows a definite link between maternal and offspring obesity and is the first demonstration that this is the case in mammals which bear 'mature offspring' – as humans do. Professor Peter Nathanielsz, lead author of the research, said: "A relationship between maternal obesity and offspring obesity has been clearly identified in rodents but as their young are born immature, it was not clear whether the findings would apply to humans. "Lambs offer a more similar model to understand the ...

Neanderthals were nifty at controlling fire, says CU-Boulder-led study

2011-03-15

A new study involving the University of Colorado Boulder shows clear evidence of the continuous control of fire by Neanderthals in Europe dating back roughly 400,000 years, yet another indication that they weren't dimwitted brutes as often portrayed. The conclusion comes from the study of scores of ancient archaeological research sites in Europe that show convincing evidence of long-term fire control by Neanderthals, said Paola Villa, a curator at the University of Colorado Museum of Natural History. Villa co-authored a paper on the new study with Professor Wil Roebroeks ...

Newer doesn't mean better when it comes to type 2 diabetes drugs

2011-03-15

An inexpensive type 2 diabetes drug that has been around for more than 15 years works just as well and has fewer side effects than a half-dozen other, mostly newer and more expensive classes of medication used to control the chronic disease, new Johns Hopkins research suggests. In their report, published online March 14 in the journal Annals of Internal Medicine, the Hopkins team found that metformin, an oral drug that was first approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration in 1995, not only controlled blood sugar, but was also less likely to cause weight gain or ...

CDC makes reproductive health surveys available through IHME's new Global Health Data Exchange

2011-03-15

SEATTLE – A wealth of maternal and child health data is being made immediately and freely accessible through a new collaboration between the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's (CDC) Division of Reproductive Health. The Division chose IHME's Global Health Data Exchange (GHDx) to host its reports and datasets for an extensive series of reproductive health survey data from more than 30 countries that have received technical assistance from the Division from 1975 to the present. The datasets cover a wide ...

Heavy drinking associated with increased risk of death from pancreatic cancer

2011-03-15

CHICAGO – Heavy alcohol consumption, specifically three or more glasses of liquor a day, is associated with an increased risk of death from pancreatic cancer, according to a report in the March 14 issue of Archives of Internal Medicine, one of the JAMA/Archives journals. "Alcoholic beverage consumption – a modifiable lifestyle factor – is causally related to several cancers, including oral cavity, pharynx, larynx, esophagus, liver, colorectum and female breast," the authors write as background information in the article. "Heavy alcohol consumption causes acute and chronic ...

Stopping smoking shortly before surgery is not associated with increased postoperative complications

2011-03-15

CHICAGO -- A meta-analysis of nine previous studies found that quitting smoking shortly before surgery was not associated with an increased risk of postoperative complications, according to a report published online today that will appear in the July 11 print issue of Archives of Internal Medicine, one of the JAMA/Archives journals. "Cigarette smoking has been implicated as a risk factor for postoperative complications across a spectrum of surgical specialties," the authors provide as background information. "Compared with nonsmokers, smokers who undergo surgery have ...

Vitamin D insufficiency high among patients with early Parkinson disease

2011-03-15

CHICAGO – Patients with a recent onset of Parkinson disease have a high prevalence of vitamin D insufficiency, but vitamin D concentrations do not appear to decline during the progression of the disease, according to a report in the March issue of Archives of Neurology, one of the JAMA/Archives journals. Vitamin D is now considered a hormone that regulates a number of physiological processes. "Vitamin D insufficiency has been associated with a variety of clinical disorders and chronic diseases, including impaired balance, decreased muscle strength, mood and cognitive ...

Omega-3 fatty acid intake linked with reduced risk of age-related macular degeneration in women

2011-03-15

CHICAGO – Regular consumption of fish and omega-3 fatty acids found in fish is associated with a significantly reduced risk of developing age-related macular degeneration in women, according to a report posted online today that will appear in the June issue of Archives of Ophthalmology, one of the JAMA/Archives journals. "An estimated nine million U.S. adults aged 40 years and older show signs of age-related macular degeneration (AMD)," the authors write as background information in the article. "An additional 7.3 million persons have early age-related macular degeneration, ...

LAST 30 PRESS RELEASES:

Scientists trace microplastics in fertilizer from fields to the beach

The Lancet Obstetrics, Gynecology, & Women’s Health: Taking paracetamol during pregnancy does not increase risk of autism, ADHD or intellectual disabilities, confirms new gold-standard evidence review