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Alcohol intake and risk of pituitary adenoma

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Abstract

Background

The association between alcohol intake and incidence of pituitary adenoma has not been reported previously. We examined this association in three large, prospective cohort studies.

Methods

Using data from the Nurses’ Health Study, Nurses’ Health Study II, and Health Professionals Follow-Up Study, we computed multivariable-adjusted hazard ratios (MVHR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) for pituitary adenoma by levels of alcohol intake using Cox proportional hazards regression.

Results

We identified 292 incident cases of pituitary adenoma (225 among women, 67 among men) among 235,973 participants with 6,548,732 person-years of follow-up. Compared with intake of ≤ 0.5 g/day, cumulative average alcohol intake in all categories was associated with reduced risk of pituitary adenoma (MVHR = 0.60, 95% CI 0.43–0.83 for 0.5–≤ 2 g/day, MVHR = 0.57, 95% CI 0.41–0.79 for > 2.0–≤ 8.0, MVHR = 0.70, 95% CI 0.47–1.04 for > 8.0–≤ 15.0, and MVHR = 0.51, 95% CI 0.32–0.83 for > 15.0 g/day). Significant inverse findings were present in women and were similar but non-significant in men. For specific alcoholic beverages, inverse associations were statistically significant for total wine (MVHR = 0.58, 95% CI 0.43–0.79 comparing 0.5–≤ 2 to ≤ 0.5 g/day), red wine (MVHR = 0.65, 95% CI 0.46–0.92 comparing 0.5–≤ 2 to ≤ 0.5 g/day), and white wine (MVHR = 0.72, 95% CI 0.53–0.97 comparing 0.5–≤ 2 to ≤ 0.5 g/day). Results were consistent using baseline intake, recent intake, and with an 8-year lag.

Conclusion

In three prospective cohorts, compared to almost no consumption, alcohol consumption was associated with reduced risk of pituitary adenoma. Sensitivity analyses suggest that these results are unlikely to be the result of reverse causation or diagnostic bias.

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Data availability

The data used in this manuscript are available from the corresponding authors upon reasonable request.

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Acknowledgments

We would like to thank the participants and staff of the Nurses’ Health Study, Nurses’ Health Study II, and Health Professionals Follow-Up Study for their valuable contributions as well as the following state cancer registries for their help: AL, AZ, AR, CA, CO, CT, DE, FL, GA, ID, IL, IN, IA, KY, LA, ME, MD, MA, MI, NE, NH, NJ, NY, NC, ND, OH, OK, OR, PA, RI, SC, TN, TX, VA, WA, and WY. The authors assume full responsibility for analyses and interpretation of these data.

Funding

National Institutes of Health (NIH) PO1 CA87969, U01 CA167552, UM1 CA186107, U01 CA176726, UM1 CA167552, F30 CA235791 (DJC), and R37 HD019938 (UBK).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Channing Division of Network Medicine, Department of Medicine, Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA

    David J. Cote & Meir J. Stampfer

  2. Pituitary/Neuroendocrine Center, Department of Neurosurgery, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Boston, MA, USA

    David J. Cote, Timothy R. Smith, Ursula B. Kaiser & Edward R. Laws Jr.

  3. Computational Neuroscience Outcomes Center, Department of Neurosurgery, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Boston, MA, USA

    David J. Cote & Timothy R. Smith

  4. Division of Endocrinology, Diabetes, and Hypertension, Department of Medicine, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Boston, MA, USA

    Ursula B. Kaiser

  5. Department of Epidemiology, Harvard T. H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA

    Meir J. Stampfer

  6. Department of Nutrition, Harvard T. H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA

    Meir J. Stampfer

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  1. David J. Cote
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  5. Meir J. Stampfer
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Correspondence to David J. Cote.

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Cote, D.J., Smith, T.R., Kaiser, U.B. et al. Alcohol intake and risk of pituitary adenoma. Cancer Causes Control 33, 353–361 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10552-021-01523-0

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10552-021-01523-0

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