Am J Epidemiol. 2013 Jan 1;177(1):50-8.
Coffee, tea, and fatal oral/pharyngeal cancer in a large prospective US cohort.
Hildebrand JS, Patel AV, McCullough ML, Gaudet MM, Chen AY, Hayes RB, Gapstur SM.
Source
Epidemiology Research Program, American Cancer Society, 250 Williams Street NW,
Atlanta, GA 30303, USA. janet.hildebrand@cancer.org
Abstract
Epidemiologic studies suggest that coffee intake is associated with reduced risk
of oral/pharyngeal cancer. The authors examined associations of caffeinated
coffee, decaffeinated coffee, and tea intake with fatal oral/pharyngeal cancer
in the Cancer Prevention Study II, a prospective US cohort study begun in 1982
by the American Cancer Society. Among 968,432 men and women who were cancer free
at enrollment, 868 deaths due to oral/pharyngeal cancer occurred during 26 years
of follow-up. Cox proportional hazards regression was used to estimate
multivariable-adjusted relative risk. Intake of >4 cups/day of caffeinated
coffee was associated with a 49% lower risk of oral/pharyngeal cancer death
relative to no/occasional coffee intake (relative risk = 0.51, 95% confidence
interval: 0.40, 0.64) (1 cup/day = 237 ml). A dose-related decline in relative
risk was observed with each single cup/day consumed (P(trend) < 0.001). The
association was not modified by sex, smoking status, or alcohol use. An inverse
association for >2 cups/day of decaffeinated coffee intake was suggested
(relative risk = 0.61, 95% confidence interval: 0.37, 1.01). No association was
found for tea drinking. In this large prospective study, caffeinated coffee
intake was inversely associated with oral/pharyngeal cancer mortality. Research
is needed to elucidate biologic mechanisms whereby coffee might help to protect
against these often fatal cancers.
PMID: 23230042 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]