Null Results in Brief Long-term Alcohol Consumption and Risk of Endometrial Cancer Incidence: A Prospective Cohort Study

Alcohol consumption has been hypothesized to increase the risk of endometrial cancer. We used data from the prospective population-based Swedish Mammography Cohort including 61,226 women to examine the association between alcohol and endometrial cancer incidence. Alcohol consumption was assessed with validated food frequency questionnaires at baseline 1987 to 1990 and at follow-up in 1997. During a mean follow-up of 17.6 years, 687 endometrial cancer cases were identified in the Swedish cancer registries. We found no association between alcohol consumption and endometrial cancer risk after adjustment for age, body mass index, and smoking. The multivariable rate ratios (95% confidence intervals) for the three upper categories of long-term alcohol consumption as compared with no consumption were 1.01 (0.84-1.22) for <3.4 g/d, 1.01 (0.80-1.27) for 3.4 to 9.9 g/d, and 1.09 (0.711.67) for z10 g/d, respectively. The association did not differ by age, body mass index, folic acid intake, or postmenopausal hormone use in stratified analysis. In conclusion, our results suggest that low alcohol consumption (up to one drink per day) is unlikely to substantially influence risk of endometrial cancer. (Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev 2009;18(1):355–8)