Coffee and Cancer of the Pancreas

Abstract

We questioned 369 patients with histologically proved cancer of the pancreas and 644 control patients about their use of tobacco, alcohol, tea, and coffee. There was a weak positive association between pancreatic cancer and cigarette smoking, but we found no association with use of cigars, pipe tobacco, alcoholic beverages, or tea. A strong association between coffee consumption and pancreatic cancer was evident in both sexes. The association was not affected by controlling for cigarette use. For the sexes combined, there was a significant dose-response relation (P approximately 0.001); after adjustment for cigarette smoking, the relative risk associated with drinking up to two cups of coffee per day was 1.8 (95% confidence limits, 1.0 to 3.0), and that with three or more cups per day was 2.7 (1.6 to 4.7). This association should be evaluated with other data; if it reflects a causal relation between coffee drinking and pancreatic cancer, coffee use might account for a substantial proportion of the cases of this disease in the United States.

Pancreas cancer and coffee and tea consumption: A case-control study

“…More heavy tea drinkers smoked cigarettes than did modest tea drinkers (Stocks, 1958). A positive relationship was found between smoking and pancreas cancer, though this was not statistically significant, similar to that reported in 3 other case-control studies (Wynder et al, 1973;Lin & Kessler, 1981;and MacMahon et al, 1981).…”

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Evidence was recently presented of a positive relationship between coffee consumption and pancreas cancer (MacMahon et al, 1981). This has prompted us to examine unpublished data relevant to this question, collected in north-west England and north Wales in the early 1950s.

The data available for analysis came from a casecontrol study of cancer in Liverpool and adjacent parts of Lancashire, Cheshire and north Wales conducted in the years 1952-54 by the late Dr Percy Stocks, while holding a Fellowship of the British Empire Cancer Campaign (now the Cancer Research Campaign).

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“…For this purpose, lung, bladder, mouth, pharynx and oesophagus cancers were considered smokingrelated sites. Ovary cancers were also excluded from the control group because of a recent report that this cancer might also be related to coffee (Trichopoulos et al, 1981).In the Stocks (1958) study an unusually strict definition of non-smokers had been used, namely individuals who had never for any period in their life averaged as much as two cigarettes per week and had smoked neither a pipe nor cigars. For the Correspondence: L.J.…”

“…Evidence was recently presented of a positive relationship between coffee consumption and pancreas cancer (MacMahon et al, 1981). This has prompted us to examine unpublished data relevant to this question, collected in north-west England and north Wales in the early 1950s.…”

“…For this purpose, lung, bladder, mouth, pharynx and oesophagus cancers were considered smokingrelated sites. Ovary cancers were also excluded from the control group because of a recent report that this cancer might also be related to coffee (Trichopoulos et al, 1981).…”