Elsevier

Annals of Oncology

Volume 23, Issue 11, November 2012, Pages 2791-2798
Annals of Oncology

reviews
Alcohol drinking and non-Hodgkin lymphoma risk: a systematic review and a meta-analysis

https://doi.org/10.1093/annonc/mds013Get rights and content
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ABSTRACT

Background

Whether an association between alcohol drinking and non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL) risk exists is an open question. In order to provide quantification of the issue, we carried out a meta-analysis of published data.

Methods

We identified 21 case–control and 8 cohort studies, including a total of 18 759 NHL cases. We derived meta-analytic estimates using random-effects models, taking into account correlation between estimates.

Results

The overall relative risk (RR) of NHL for drinkers versus non-drinkers was 0.85 [95% confidence interval (CI) 0.79–0.91]. Compared with non-drinkers, the pooled RRs were 0.88 for light (≤1 drink per day), 0.87 for moderate (1 to <4 drinks per day), and 0.84 for heavy (≥4 drinks per day) alcohol drinking. There was no association for light drinkers in cohort studies, whereas for moderate and heavy drinkers, the RRs were similar in case–control (0.85 for moderate, 0.92 for heavy) and cohort (0.89 for moderate, 0.79 for heavy) studies. The inverse relation with alcohol consumption (drinkers versus non-drinkers) was similar in men (RR = 0.83) and women (RR = 0.86), but apparently stronger in studies from Asia (RR = 0.69) than other world areas (RR = 0.88).

Conclusion

This meta-analysis provides quantitative evidence of a favourable role of alcohol drinking on NHL risk, though the lack of a biological explanation suggests caution in the interpretation of results.

alcohol drinking
dose–risk relation
meta-analysis
non-Hodgkin lymphoma
systematic review

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