Table 4. Risk of selected gastrointestinal cancers in digitalis users compared with users of organic nitrates only by histologic type and by duration of exposure using Cox regression.
| Types of cancer | Prevalent users | Incident users | All | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| < 1 year | 1-2 years | ≥ 2years | ||||||||
| N | HR (95% CI) * | N | HR (95% CI) * | N | HR (95% CI) * | N | HR (95% CI) * | N | HR (95% CI) * | |
| Esophageal squamous cell carcinoma a | 48 | 1.70 (1.19, 2.40) | 15 | 1.79 (1.01, 3.17) | 8 | 2.39 (0.74, 7.73) | 2 | 0.52 (0.11, 2.49) | 73 | 1.61 (1.22, 2.13) |
| Esophageal adenocarcinoma b | 49 | 1.13 (0.81, 1.56) | 18 | 1.25 (0.76, 2.08) | 4 | 0.72 (0.22, 2.38) | 2 | 0.48 (0.11, 2.17) | 69 | 1.01 (0.78, 1.31) |
| Adenocarcinoma of gastric cardia b | 51 | 1.20 (0.87, 1.67) | 12 | 1.17 (0.63, 2.16) | 3 | 0.74 (0.16, 3.29) | 3 | 0.95 (0.24, 3.76) | 142 | 1.10 (0.84, 1.45) |
| Adenocarcinoma of the esophagus or gastric cardia b | 100 | 1.16 (0.92, 1.47) | 30 | 1.22 (0.83, 1.80) | 7 | 0.71 (0.28, 1.78) | 5 | 0.67 (0.25, 1.82) | 142 | 1.05 (0.87, 1.27) |
| Hepatocellular carcinoma c | 59 | 0.87 (0.65, 1.17) | 14 | 0.94 (0.54, 1.65) | 7 | 0.80 (0.29, 2.19) | 3 | 0.34 (0.10, 1.18) | 83 | 0.82 (0.64, 1.04) |
| Intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma d | 22 | 1.23 (0.75, 2.02) | 8 | 1.52 (0.71, 3.27) | 2 | 1.09 (0.14, 8.77) | 2 | 0.53 (0.11, 2.58) | 34 | 1.12 (0.76, 1.65) |
| Extrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma d | 14 | 0.81 (0.45, 1.48) | 5 | 1.22 (0.47, 3.15) | 2 | 1.94 (0.24, 15.63) | 0 | - | 21 | 0.80 (0.49, 1.29) |
| Cholangiocarcinoma of the liver or bile ducts d | 36 | 1.03 (0.70, 1.51) | 13 | 1.38 (0.76, 2.51) | 4 | 1.46 (0.33, 6.36) | 2 | 0.33 (0.07, 1.51) | 55 | 0.97 (0.72, 1.31) |
*Hazard ratio (95% confidence interval), adjusted for sex, age, residence, and comorbidity.
aAdjusted comorbidities included chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, chronic liver disease or liver cirrhosis, and diabetes.
bAdjusted comorbidities included obesity, gastroesophageal reflux disease, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, and diabetes.
cAdjusted comorbidities included obesity, viral hepatitis, chronic liver disease or liver cirrhosis, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, and diabetes.
dAdjusted comorbidities included obesity, cholelithiasis, viral hepatitis, Crohn's disease, chronic liver disease or liver cirrhosis, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, and diabetes.