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. 2014 Mar 14;14:187. doi: 10.1186/1471-2407-14-187

Table 2.

Associations (multivariablea adjusted incidence RRs) between alcohol consumption and risk of subtypes of head-neck cancer; Netherlands Cohort Study (NLCS), 19862003

 
 
Subcohort
Head-neck cancer cases
 
 
 
Overall
Subtypes
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
OCC b
 
OHPC b
 
LC b
 
 
  Categorical median Person time at risk (years) No. of cases RR (95% CI) No. of cases RR (95% CI) No. of cases RR (95% CI) No. of cases RR (95% CI) P for heterogeneity
Alcohol consumption (grams ethanol/day)
Abstainers
0
15 255
49
1 (reference)
12
1 (reference)
11
1 (reference)
26
1 (reference)
0.86
>0 to <5
2
19 008
67
1.11 (0.75-1.65)
17
1.25 (0.59-2.65)
14
1.06 (0.47-2.40)
36
1.03 (0.60-1.77)
 
5 to <15
9
14 468
72
1.15 (0.77-1.71)
19
1.91 (0.91-4.03)
12
0.90 (0.38-2.13)
40
0.94 (0.56-1.58)
 
15 to <30
22
9 961
92
1.52 (1.02-2.27)
30
3.88 (1.86-8.12)
13
0.99 (0.41-2.38)
49
1.10 (0.66-1.83)
 
≥30
40
5 659
115
2.74 (1.85-4.06)
32
6.39 (3.13-13.03)
33
3.52 (1.69-7.36)
48
1.54 (0.91-2.60)
 
P for trendc
 
 
 
<0.001
 
<0.001
 
<0.001
 
0.05
 
Continuous, 10 gram
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
ethanol/day increments
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Overall
 
64 352
395
1.20 (1.12-1.27)
110
1.28 (1.18-1.39)
83
1.27 (1.16-1.38)
199
1.10 (1.02-1.18)
0.18
Men
 
30 169
314
1.19 (1.12-1.27)
65
1.27 (1.17-1.38)
61
1.27 (1.16-1.39)
187
1.10 (1.03-1.19)
 
Women
 
34 183
81
1.40 (1.18-1.65)
45
1.58 (1.33-1.87)
22
1.31 (0.91-1.87)
12
0.85 (0.46-1.59)
 
P for interactiond
 
 
 
0.02
 
0.004
 
0.68
 
0.67
 
Alcohol consumption (grams ethanol/day) stable users e
Abstainers
0
11 810
38
1 (reference)
9
1 (reference)
9
1 (reference)
20
1 (reference)
1.00
>0 to <5
2
11 813
36
0.98 (0.60-1.61)
12
1.65 (0.68-4.01)
7
0.86 (0.30-2.41)
17
0.72 (0.35-1.46)
 
5 to <15
9
8 749
38
0.96 (0.58-1.59)
9
1.68 (0.63-4.47)
8
0.89 (0.32-2.47)
21
0.72 (0.37-1.40)
 
15 to <30
22
5 293
45
1.27 (0.76-2.11)
12
3.20 (1.25-8.19)
6
0.72 (0.23-2.26)
27
0.96 (0.50-1.83)
 
≥30
42
3 047
69
2.90 (1.78-4.73)
17
7.50 (3.15-17.88)
20
3.46 (1.46-8.20)
31
1.57 (0.82-3.02)
 
P for trend
 
 
 
<0.001
 
<0.001
 
0.001
 
0.03
 
Continuous, 10 grams
 
39712
226
1.26 (1.16-1.36)
59
1.37 (1.24-1.52)
50
1.35 (1.20-1.52)
116
1.16 (1.04-1.28)
0.72
ethanol/day increments
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Alcoholic beverages (glasses/day) f
Beer
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
No beer
0
43 519
183
1 (reference)
59
1 (reference)
36
1 (reference)
87
1 (reference)
0.84
>0- < 1
0.2
16 408
129
0.94 (0.71-1.24)
34
1.10 (0.65-1.86)
24
0.98 (0.54-1.76)
69
0.85 (0.60-1.22)
 
1- < 2
1.4
2 853
37
1.12 (0.72-1.74)
8
1.17 (0.49-2.77)
6
1.04 (0.41-2.66)
23
1.19 (0.71-2.01)
 
≥2
3.4
1 554
46
1.39 (0.83-2.34)
9
0.99 (0.34-2.82)
17
2.48 (1.03-5.98)
20
1.30 (0.69-2.46)
 
P for trend
 
 
 
0.14
 
0.95
 
0.03
 
0.20
 
Continuous, 1
 
64 335
395
1.07 (0.97-1.19)
110
0.97 (0.80-1.16)g
83
1.19 (1.01-1.40)
199
1.08 (0.96-1.23)
0.07
glass/day increments
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Wine
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
No wine
0
30 263
197
1 (reference)
44
1 (reference)
38
1 (reference)
114
1 (reference)
0.93
>0- < 1
0.2
25 975
132
0.88 (0.67-1.14)
40
1.07 (0.67-1.71)
33
1.01 (0.59-1.75)
57
0.74 (0.52-1.05)
 
1- < 2
1.4
5 277
39
0.95 (0.63-1.44)
14
1.31 (0.67-2.55)
5
0.52 (0.19-1.39)
20
1.07 (0.63-1.83)
 
≥2
2.6
2 751
24
0.56 (0.29-1.07)
11
0.93 (0.34-2.57)
7
0.52 (0.15-1.81)g
6
0.39 (0.15-0.99)
 
P for trend
 
 
 
0.15
 
0.93
 
0.16
 
0.21
 
Continuous, 1
 
64 265
392
0.88 (0.74-1.05)
109
0.89 (0.69-1.16)
83
0.86 (0.64-1.17)
197
0.88 (0.68-1.14)
0.26
glass/day increments
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Liquor
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
No liquor
0
33 299
137
1 (reference)
40
1 (reference)
34
1 (reference)
63
1 (reference)
0.44
>0- < 1
0.2
23 492
133
1.09 (0.84-1.43)
31
1.10 (0.67-1.80)
23
0.86 (0.48-1.53)
78
1.17 (0.81-1.67)
 
1- < 2
1.9
5 370
67
1.09 (0.76-1.57)
18
1.65 (0.87-3.15)
12
0.79 (0.39-1.62)
37
1.08 (0.67-1.74)
 
≥2
2.8
2 115
56
1.18 (0.71-1.95)
20
2.26 (1.02-4.99)
14
0.83 (0.33-2.13)
20
0.95 (0.47-1.93)
 
P for trend
 
 
 
0.61
 
0.03
 
0.64
 
0.83
 
Continuous, 1
 
64 275
393
1.01 (0.86-1.18)
109
1.18 (0.89-1.56)
83
0.89 (0.68-1.15)
198
0.98 (0.80-1.21)
0.25
glass/day increments                      

aAdjusted for age (years), sex, cigarette smoking (status (never/former/current), frequency (continuous; centered), and duration (continuous; centered)).

bOCC: oral cavity cancer; OHPC: oro-/hypopharyngeal cancer; LC: laryngeal cancer.

cTests for dose-response trends were assessed by fitting ordinal variables as continuous terms in the Cox proportional hazards model.

dP Value for interaction between sex and alcohol consumption, based on cross-product terms in the Cox proportional hazards model and Wald test.

eSubjects who had not changed their continuous alcohol consumption habits in the 5 years before baseline: for “beer” and “other alcoholic beverages”, participants could indicate whether 5 years before baseline they drunk (1) more than, (2) equal amounts of or (3) less than at baseline; the fourth answer option was (4) “I never use this”.

fAdditionally adjusted for continuous ethanol intake (g ethanol/day).

gProportional hazards assumption was possibly violated for the exposure variable, and there was a statistically significant interaction with time.