A meta-analysis of alcohol consumption and the risk of brain tumours
A partir d'une revue systématique de la littérature (19 études), cette méta-analyse évalue l'association entre une consommation d'alcool et le risque de tumeurs cérébrales
Background Alcohol is capable of traversing the blood–brain barrier and is thus a possible risk factor for brain cancer. Several epidemiological studies have been published on the issue, a number of those during recent years, with inconsistent findings.Materials and methods We performed a systematic literature search in the Medline and EMBASE databases. We found a total of 19 studies providing risk estimates for total alcohol or specific alcoholic beverages. Pooled estimates of the relative risks (RR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) were calculated using random-effects models.Results The pooled RR of brain cancer for alcohol drinkers versus non-drinkers was 0.97 (95% CI 0.82–1.15; based on 12 studies). Moderate (<2 drinks/day) and heavy alcohol drinkers had RRs of 1.01 (95% CI 0.81–1.25) and 1.35 (95% CI 0.85–2.15), respectively. With reference to specific alcoholic beverages, the RRs were 1.01 (95% CI 0.70–1.48) for wine, 0.96 (95% CI 0.82–1.12) for beer, and 1.20 (95% CI 1.01–1.42) for spirit consumption. The RRs for drinkers versus non-drinkers were 0.93 (95% CI 0.81–1.07) for glioma and 0.71 (95% CI 0.45–1.12) for meningioma.Conclusions Alcohol drinking does not appear to be associated with adult brain cancer, though a potential effect of high doses deserves further study.