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Research: MAHABIR and others,
Listed in Issue 123
Abstract
MAHABIR and others, Cancer Prevention Studies Branch, Center for Cancer Research, National Cancer Institute, 6116 Executive Boulevard, Suite 705, MSC 8314, Bethesda, MD 20892-7058, USA mahabirs@mail.nih.gov, have studied the connection between alcohol consumption and cancer of the kidneys.
Background
The extent to which alcohol affects the risk of cancer of the kidneys is unclear. This study examined the association between total alcohol intake as well as specific types of alcoholic beverage and the risk of renal cancer in a large cohort of Finnish male smokers.
Methodology
Men from the Alpha-Tocopherol, BetaCarotene (ATBC) Cancer Prevention Study were followed for 12 years and kidney cell cancer cases were identified. Alcohol consumption was assessed at baseline. Cox proportional hazards modelling was used to adjust simultaneously for known or suspected risk factors for kidney cell cancer.
Results
195 incident cases of kidney cell cancer were identified. In multivariate analysis, the relative risks of renal cancer according to increasing quartiles of total alcohol intake were 1.0, 0.9, 0.94, and 0.53, respectively (p = 0.005). For spirits consumption, the figure were 1.0, 0.93, 0.84, and 0.55 (p = 0.02); and for beer intake, 1.0, 1.22, 0.83, and 0.55 (p = 0.003). Too few people in this cohort drank wine to assess its association with risk of kidney cell cancer.
Conclusion
These data suggest that alcohol intake could decrease the risk of kidney cancer. However it needs to be remembered that alcohol is a risk factor for a number of other types of cancer.
References
Mahabir S, Leitzmann MF, Virtanen MJ, Virtamo J, Pietinen P, Albanes D, Taylor PR. Prospective study of alcohol drinking and renal cell cancer risk in a cohort of finnish male smokers. Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers & Prevention 14 (1): 170-175, Jan 2005.
