Saturday, February 28, 2009

Pimping Pandemics and Poo

In a study about alcohol use and cancer recently published by the National Cancer Institute's British and widely reported in the Canadian press, researchers concluded: “Low to moderate alcohol consumption in women increases the risk of certain cancers. For every additional drink regularly consumed per day, the increase in incidence up to age 75 years per 1000 for women in developed countries is estimated to be about 11 for breast cancer, 1 for cancers of the oral cavity and pharynx, 1 for cancer of the rectum, and 0.7 each for cancers of the esophagus, larynx and liver, giving a total excess of about 15 cancers per 1000 women up to age 75.”

Lead author of the study, epidemiologist Naomi E. Allen of the University of Oxford, estimated that about five per cent of U.S. cancers in women, about 30,000 cases per year, are due to such low levels of consumption.

In an editorial that accompanied the study Dr. Michael S. Lauer and Paul Sorlie of the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute spewed: "From the standpoint of cancer risk, the message of this report could not be clearer. There is no level of alcohol consumption that can be considered safe.”

The pimps of pandemics and poo failed to mention another significant finding of the study: Women were followed up for cancer incidence over 9.2 million person-years, for an average of 7.2 years per woman ( Table 1 ). A total of 68 775 incident cancers were notified by the NHS Central Registers. We calculated the relative risk at individual cancer sites by categories of alcohol consumption at recruitment ( Table 2 ). Nondrinkers had an increased risk for several cancer sites compared with women who drank fewer than or equal to 2 drinks per week; increases were statistically significant for cancers of the oral cavity and pharynx, esophagus, stomach, liver, lung, cervix, endometrium, and renal cell carcinoma. Women were followed up for cancer incidence over 9.2 million person-years, for an average of 7.2 years per woman ( Table 1 ). A total of 68 775 incident cancers were notifi ed by the NHS Central Registers. We calculated the relative risk at individual cancer sites by categories of alcohol consumption at recruitment ( Table 2 ). Nondrinkers had an increased risk for several cancer sites compared with women who drank fewer than or equal to 2 drinks per week; increases were statistically significant for cancers of the oral cavity and pharynx, esophagus, stomach, liver, lung, cervix, endometrium, and renal cell carcinoma.”