Intake of alcohol and tea and risk of nasopharyngeal carcinoma: a population- based case-control study in southern China
Menée en Chine auprès de 2 503 patients atteints d'un carcinome du rhinopharynx et 2 591 témoins, cette étude analyse l'association entre la consommation quotidienne de thé ou d'alcool et le risque de développer la maladie
Background: The potential effect of alcohol or tea intake on the risk of nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) remains controversial. Methods: In a population-based case-control study in southern China, we assessed alcohol or tea intake from 2,503 histopathologically confirmed NPC cases and 2,591 controls. We calculated mean daily ethanol (g/day) and tea intake (ml/day). Fully adjusted odds ratios (ORs) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were estimated using logistic regression; potential dose-response trends were evaluated using restricted cubic spline analysis. Results: Compared with non-drinkers, no significantly increased NPC risk in men was observed among current alcohol drinkers overall (OR, 1.08; 95% CI, 0.93, 1.25), nor among current heavy drinkers (OR for≥90 g/day ethanol vs. none, 1.32; 95% CI, 0.95, 1.84) or former alcohol drinkers. Current tea drinking was associated with a decreased NPC risk (OR, 0.73; 95% CI, 0.64, 0.84). Compared with never drinkers, those with the low first three quintiles of mean daily current intake of tea were at significantly lower NPC risk (OR 0.53, 0.68 and 0.65, respectively), but not significant for the next two quintiles. Current daily tea intake had a significant non-linear dose-response relation with NPC risk. Conclusions: Our study suggests no significant association between alcohol and NPC risk. Tea drinking may moderately reduce NPC risk, but the lack of a monotonic dose-response association complicates causal inference. Impact: Tea drinking might be a healthy habit for preventing NPC. More studies on biological mechanisms that may link tea with NPC risk are needed.