Journal article
Diet and nasopharyngeal cancer in a low-risk population
International journal of cancer, Vol.78(6), pp.675-679
12/09/1998
DOI: 10.1002/(SICI)1097-0215(19981209)78:63.0.CO;2-J
PMID: 9833758
Abstract
Asian studies have reported that risk of nasopharyngeal cancer (NPC) is increased in individuals who frequently consume salted fish, which contains high levels of N-nitroso compounds. As part of a collaborative, population-based, case-control study in the U.S., where the annual incidence of the disease is low, we investigated whether dietary intake of preformed nitrosamines or nitrosamine precursors, or of antioxidants including vitamin C and carotenoids, was associated with altered risk of NPC overall, or of specific histologic subtypes of disease. Cases (n = 133) identified at 5 population-based cancer registries and controls (n = 212) identified through random digit dialing completed a telephone interview and self-administered food frequency questionnaire. Dietary exposures were expressed as quartiles of intake, and odds ratios (ORs) calculated using the lowest quartile of intake as the reference category. Risk of non-keratinizing and undifferentiated tumors of the nasopharynx was increased in frequent consumers of preserved meats, which contain high levels of added nitrites. ORs in the 2nd, 3rd and highest quartile were 1.99, 4.35 and 4.59, although 95% confidence intervals did not exclude 1.0. Risk of differentiated squamous cell carcinoma, but not other histologic types, was significantly reduced in individuals with vitamin C intake above the lowest quartile (ORs 0.30, 0.33 and 0.30 in the 2nd, 3rd and highest quartiles, respectively). This association was markedly stronger among non-smokers and former smokers than among current smokers. Finally, individuals who reported consuming supplemental vitamins were at an approximately 50% reduced risk of NPC. Our results indicate that future studies should consider the effects of dietary risk factors on the risk of specific histologic subsets of NPC, and not assume that the disease is etiologically homogeneous.
Details
- Title: Subtitle
- Diet and nasopharyngeal cancer in a low-risk population
- Creators
- D C Farrow - Program in Epidemiology, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, and Department of Epidemiology, University of Washington, Seattle, USA. dfarrow@fhcrc.orgT L VaughanM BerwickC F LynchG M SwansonJ L Lyon
- Resource Type
- Journal article
- Publication Details
- International journal of cancer, Vol.78(6), pp.675-679
- Publisher
- United States
- DOI
- 10.1002/(SICI)1097-0215(19981209)78:63.0.CO;2-J
- PMID
- 9833758
- ISSN
- 0020-7136
- eISSN
- 1097-0215
- Grant note
- N01 CN05230 / NCI NIH HHS R29 CA46552 / NCI NIH HHS
- Language
- English
- Date published
- 12/09/1998
- Academic Unit
- Epidemiology
- Record Identifier
- 9983996089802771
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