RESEARCH ARTICLE Association between Alcohol Consumption and Pancreatic Cancer Risk: A Case-Control Study

Purpose Evidence is inconsistent regarding alcohol and pancreatic cancer risk, although heavy drinking may increase risk. Methods A population-based case-control study was conducted using 345 pancreas cancer cases di-agnosed 2011–2012 and 1,285 frequency-matched controls from Ontario, Canada. Logistic regression was used to evaluate alcohol consumption and pancreatic cancer risk; data was also stratified by sex and smoking status to assess interaction. Results Alcohol consumption was not associated with pancreatic cancer risk (age-adjusted odds ratio=0.78, 95 % CI: 0.58, 1.05 for 1- 3 drinks/week; age-adjusted odds ratio=0.86, 95 % CI: 0.63, 1.17 for 4- 20 drinks/week), however there was a non-significant increased risk for heavy drinkers consuming21 drinks/week (age-adjusted odds ratio=1.35, 95 % CI: 0.81, 2.27). Cigarette smoking modified the alcohol-cancer relationship; among current smokers