In a nationwide Korean cohort study reported in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, Park et al found that risk of young-onset pancreatic cancer was associated with increased consumption of alcohol and increased frequency of alcohol consumption.
Study Details
In the study, a nationwide cohort of 6,263,770 individuals aged 20 to 39 years who underwent national health screening between 2009 and 2012 was followed until December 2020. Heavy alcohol consumption was defined as ≥ 30 g/day for men and ≥ 16 g/day for women; light-to-moderate consumption was defined as consumption of less than these amounts. Cox proportional hazards regression models were used to estimate adjusted hazard ratios (aHRs).
Key Findings
Young-onset pancreatic cancer was identified in 1,515 individuals. The cumulative incidence among heavy drinkers was higher than that in nondrinkers and in light-to-moderate drinkers (overall P < .001).
Compared with no alcohol consumption, heavy consumption was significantly associated with increased risk of young-onset disease (aHR = 1.19, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.004–1.42), with no significant association being observed with light-to-moderate consumption (aHR = 1.04, 95% CI = 0.92–1.17). Compared with no alcohol consumption, consumption three or more times per week was associated with an increased risk of young-onset pancreatic cancer (aHR = 1.23, 95% CI = 1.01–1.51). No significant interactions were observed across subgroups such as age, sex, obesity, smoking status, diabetes, and pancreatitis; a significant interaction was observed for physical activity, with reduced risk of young-onset disease being observed for light-to-moderate alcohol consumption vs no consumption among physically active participants (aHR = 0.71, 95% CI = 0.53–0.93).
The investigators concluded: “Heavy alcohol consumption was significantly associated with an increased risk of young-onset pancreatic cancer in a threshold dose-response manner. These findings suggest that early public health strategies to reduce heavy alcohol consumption among young adults may help mitigate the growing burden of young-onset pancreatic cancer.”
Jung Yong Hong, MD, PhD, of Division of Hematology-Oncology, Samsung Medical Center, Sungkyunkwan University School of Medicine, Seoul, is the corresponding author for the Journal of Clinical Oncology article.
DISCLOSURE: The study was supported by the Basic Science Research Program through the National Research Foundation of Korea and others. For full disclosures of the study authors, visit ascopubs.org.
