Alcohol consumption and gastric cancer risk in Korea: a case-control study

Background/objectives: The International Agency for Research on Cancer defined alcohol beverages and acetaldehyde derived from alcoholic beverages as a Group 1 carcinogen to humans. However, the association between alcohol consumption and gastric cancer risk has been controversial in Korean. We assessed the relationship between alcohol consumption and gastric cancer risk in Korea through a case-control study.

Subjects/methods: From 2 hospitals, a total of 316 cases with gastric cancer (208 men, 108 women) were selected and matched to 316 controls by sex and age (± 5 years) during the same duration. The current status, frequency, and amount of alcohol consumption for a year three years ago were assessed by trained interviewers.

Results: Alcohol consumption status and frequency did not show any significant association with gastric cancer risk. However, high alcohol consumption (≥ 20 g/day for women or ≥ 40 g/day for men) significantly increased the risk of gastric cancer (odds ratio (OR) 1.73; 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.05-2.85). Gastric cancer risk was strongly positively associated with alcohol consumption of ≥ 20 g/day, especially in women (OR 5.62; 95% CI 1.32-23.81).

Conclusion: The results from this study suggest that excessive alcohol consumption rather than the current status or frequency of alcohol consumption contributes to the increased risk of gastric cancer, especially in women.