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Epidemiology

Processed meat and risk of selected digestive tract and laryngeal cancers

European Journal of Clinical Nutrition volume 73, pages 141–149 (2019)Cite this article

Subjects

Abstract

Background/objectives

To assess the association between processed meat and the risk of selected digestive tract and laryngeal cancers.

Subjects/methods

We conducted a series of case-control studies between 1985 and 2007 in Italy. The studies included a total of 1475 cases of cancer of the oral cavity and pharynx, 1077 of the larynx, 716 of the esophagus, 999 of the stomach, 684 of the liver, 159 of the biliary tract, 688 of the pancreas, and a total of 9720 controls. Odds ratios (ORs), and the corresponding 95% confidence intervals (CIs), were estimated by unconditional logistic regression models, including terms for socio-demographic factors, tobacco smoking, and alcohol intake.

Results

Compared to the lowest tertile of processed meat consumption, the ORs for subjects in the highest one were 1.18 (95% CI 0.98–1.43) for oral cavity and pharyngeal, 1.51 (95% CI 1.18–1.91) for esophageal, 1.19 (95% CI 0.96–1.47) for laryngeal, 0.98 (95% CI 0.81–1.18) for stomach, 0.85 (95% CI 0.51–1.40) for biliary tract, 1.20 (95% CI 0.94–1.54) for liver, and 1.46 (95% CI 1.15–1.85) for pancreatic cancers.

Conclusions

Our findings support the hypothesis that high processed meat consumption increases esophageal and pancreatic cancers risk. Residual confounding by socio-demographic factors, tobacco smoking, and alcohol intake may, partly or largely, account for these associations. We found no overall association with other digestive tract and laryngeal cancers.

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Acknowledgements

This work was conducted within a grant by the Italian Foundation for Cancer Research (FIRC) and received unconditional support by ASSICA. Funders had no role in study design, data collection, analysis or interpretation, manuscript preparation, or the decision to publish. VR was supported by a fellowship from the Italian Foundation for Cancer Research (FIRC No. 18107). In addition, DK was supported by JSPS Grant-in-Aid for Young Scientists (B) (No. 15K21283).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Unit of Medical Statistics, Biometry and Bioinformatics, National Cancer Institute, IRCCS Foundation, Milan, Italy

    Valentina Rosato & Adriano Decarli

  2. Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery, Nagoya City University, Nagoya, Japan

    Daisuke Kawakita

  3. Department of Biomedical and Clinical Sciences, University of Milan, Milan, Italy

    Eva Negri

  4. Cancer Epidemiology Unit, CRO Aviano National Cancer Institute IRCCS, Aviano, Italy

    Diego Serraino

  5. Department of Otorhinolaryngology, School of Medicine and Surgery, University of Milano-Bicocca, Milan, Italy

    Werner Garavello

  6. Epidemiology Unit, National Cancer Institute G. Pascale Foundation, Naples, Italy

    Maurizio Montella

  7. Department of Clinical Sciences and Community Health, University of Milan, Milan, Italy

    Adriano Decarli, Carlo La Vecchia & Monica Ferraroni

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  1. Valentina Rosato
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Correspondence to Monica Ferraroni.

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Partially supported by unconditional grant to the Department of Clinical Sciences and Community Health, University of Milan, by ASSICA.

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Rosato, V., Kawakita, D., Negri, E. et al. Processed meat and risk of selected digestive tract and laryngeal cancers. Eur J Clin Nutr 73, 141–149 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41430-018-0153-7

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