Abstract
To evaluate whether the fivefold greater incidence rate ofsquamous-cell esophageal cancer in Black compared with White men is due totype of alcoholic beverage consumed or to other qualitative differences inalcohol consumption, we conducted a population-based case-control studywith373 males diagnosed with squamous-cell esophageal cancer (124 Whites and249 Blacks) and 1,364 male controls (750 Whites and 614 Blacks) from threegeographic areas in the United States. Included were all histologicallyconfirmed cases newly diagnosed from 1 August 1986 through 30 April 1989,among White and Black men aged 30 to 79 years. Risks varied to some extentaccording to type of alcohol used, with beer a stronger contributor inWhites, and wine and liquor stronger contributors in Blacks. However, most ofthe differences in the odds ratios by type of alcohol and race wereeliminated after controlling for average weekly amount of total alcoholconsumed. Thus, while alcohol use in all forms is an important risk factorfor squamous-cell esophageal cancer in Whites and Blacks, type of alcoholicbeverage used does not appear to account for the racial differences inincidence.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Blot WJ, Devesa SS, Kneller RW, Fraumeni JF Jr. Rising incidence of adenocarcinoma of the esophagus and gastric cardia. JAMA {dy1991}; 265: 1287–9.
Brown LM, Hoover RN, Greenberg RS, et al. Are racial differences in squamous cell esophageal cancer explained by alcohol and tobacco use? JNCI {dy1994}; 86: 1340–5.
Waksberg J. Sampling methods for random digit dialing. J Am Stat Assoc {dy1978}; 73: 40–6.
Breslow NE, Day NE. Statistical Methods in Cancer Research, Vol. I. Analysis of Case-Control Studies. Lyon, France: International Association for Research on Cancer, 1980: IARC Sci. Pub. No. 32: 192–246.
Preston DL, Lubin JH, Pierce D. EPICURE: Risk Regression and Data Analysis Software. Seattle, WA (USA): HiroSoft International Corporation; 1992.
Boyland E. Water could reduce the hazard of cancer from spirits. Br J Ind Med {dy1988}; 46: 423–424.
Pottern LM, Morris LE, Blot WJ, Ziegler RG, Fraumeni JF Jr. Esophageal cancer among black men in Washington, DC. I. Alcohol, tobacco, and other risk factors. JNCI {dy1981}; 67: 777–83.
Day GL, Blot WB, McLaughlin JK, Fraumeni JF Jr. Carcinogenic risk of dark vs. light liquor. Int J Cancer {dy1994}; 59: 319–21.
International Agency for Research on Cancer. Alcohol Drinking. Lyon, France: IARC, 1988; IARC Monogr Eval Carcinog Risk Humans, Vol. 44.
Brown LM, Blot WJ, Schuman SH, et al. Environmental factors and high risk of esophageal cancer among men in coastal South Carolina. JNCI {dy1988}; 80: 1620–5.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Brown, L.M., Hoover, R., Gridley, G. et al. Drinking practices and risk of squamous-cell esophageal cancer among Black and White men in the United States. Cancer Causes Control 8, 605–609 (1997). https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1018446430228
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1018446430228