Oesophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) may be the most common histological type of oesophageal cancer worldwide. A recent study claims that light, moderate and high alcohol drinking elevates risk of developing ESCC. The study findings allegedly have major implications in the health zone.
The investigation was triggered by using 40 case-control and 13 cohort studies which categorized alcohol consumption as no/occasional intake, light, moderate and high. The results of both cohort and case-control studies assert that alcohol drinking interferes with the risk of ESCC. The conclusion was drawn after adjusting factors such as age, sex and tobacco smoking. This link appeared slightly stronger in Asian countries as compared to other populations.
Also moderate and high alcohol intake supposedly heightened chances of ESCC with the RRs slightly higher in the non-Asian populations. According to the cohort studies, a dramatic cancer risk was developed due to moderate and high alcohol intakes. In conclusion, it was suggested that moderate and high alcohol drinking leads to an increased risk of ESCC. But the raised threat of ESCC with light alcohol drinking is present mainly in Asian countries, probably due to genetic susceptibility in Asian populations.
The study is published in the International Journal of Cancer.