The proportions of gastric cancer cases attributable (or attributable risks, AR) to consumption of traditional foods (i.e., pasta, rice and maize), low intake of beta-carotene and vitamin C, short duration of use of an electric refrigerator, low educational level, and family history of gastric cancer were computed using data from a case-control study conducted in Northern Italy. Between 1985 and June 1993 a total of 746 incident, histologically confirmed gastric cancer cases and 2,053 controls admitted to the same network of hospitals for acute, nonneoplastic, non-digestive-tract diseases, unrelated to long-term modifications of diet, were interviewed. The ARs were 48% for low intake of beta-carotene, 40% for high consumption of traditional foods, and 16% for low intake of vitamin C. Overall, these 3 dietary factors explained 73% of the gastric cancer cases in the population. Five percent of all cases were attributable to less than 30 years' use of an electric refrigerator, 15% to low educational level, and 5% to family history of gastric cancer. In individuals over age 60, a greater proportion of cases was attributable to traditional foods, low education and late adoption of electric refrigeration (58% vs. 32% aged under 60), suggesting that correlates of lower social class, influenced lifestyle, and dietary habits more markedly in earlier than in more recent generations. According to our estimates, over 3 quarters of the gastric cancer cases in this area are explainable in terms of the risk factors considered. Increased consumption of vitamin C and beta-carotene, and reduced consumption of traditional foods, would help to avoid over 10,000 out of 14,000 stomach-cancer deaths in Italy every year. Consequently, stomach cancer, which is still the third leading cause of cancer death in Italy, would represent only about 2% of all cancer deaths.
Attributable risks for stomach cancer in northern Italy / C. La Vecchia, B. D'Avanzo, E. Negri, A. Decarli, J. Benichou. - In: INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF CANCER. - ISSN 0020-7136. - 60:6(1995 Mar 16), pp. 748-752.
Titolo: | Attributable risks for stomach cancer in northern Italy |
Autori: | DECARLI, ADRIANO (Penultimo) |
Parole Chiave: | Refrigeration; Odds Ratio; Humans; Aged; Italy; Household Articles; Socioeconomic Factors; Stomach Neoplasms; Risk Factors; Case-Control Studies; Middle Aged; Food Habits; Female; Male |
Settore Scientifico Disciplinare: | Settore MED/01 - Statistica Medica |
Data di pubblicazione: | 16-mar-1995 |
Rivista: | |
Tipologia: | Article (author) |
Digital Object Identifier (DOI): | http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/ijc.2910600603 |
Appare nelle tipologie: | 01 - Articolo su periodico |