Source: doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0151562Background:
This study evaluated the effects of acute high-dose and chronic lifetime exposure to alcohol
and exposure patterns on the development of differentiated thyroid cancer (DTC).
Methods:
The Thyroid Cancer Longitudinal Study (T-CALOS) included 2,258 DTC patients (449 men
and 1,809 women) and 22,580 healthy participants (4,490 men and 18,090 women) who
were individually matched by age, gender, and enrollment year. In-person interviews were
conducted with a structured questionnaire to obtain epidemiologic data. Clinicopathologic
features of the patients were obtained by chart reviews. Odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence
intervals (95%CI) were estimated using conditional regression models.
Results:
While light or moderate drinking behavior was related to a reduced risk of DTC, acute heavy
alcohol consumption (151 g or more per event or on a single occasion) was associated with increased risks in men (OR = 2.22, 95%CI = 1.27–3.87) and women (OR = 3.61, 95%CI =
1.52–8.58) compared with never-drinkers. The consumption of alcohol for 31 or more years
was a significant risk factor for DTC for both men (31–40 years: OR = 1.58, 95%CI = 1.10–
2.28; 41+ years: OR = 3.46, 95%CI = 2.06–5.80) and women (31–40 years: OR = 2.18,
95%CI = 1.62–2.92; 41+ years: OR = 2.71, 95%CI = 1.36–5.05) compared with never-drinkers.
The consumption of a large amount of alcohol on a single occasion was also a significant
risk factor, even after restricting DTC outcomes to tumor size, lymph node metastasis,
extrathyroidal extension and TNM stage.
Conclusion:
The findings of this study suggest that the threshold effects of acute high-dose alcohol consumption
and long-term alcohol consumption are linked to an increased risk of DTC
