Tobacco smoking and alcohol consumption as risk factors for thymoma – A European case-control study

• Published in: Cancer epidemiology Vol. 61; pp. 133 - 138
• Main Authors: Eriksson, Mikael, Kaerlev, Linda, Johansen, Preben, Afonso, Noemia, Ahrens, Wolfgang, Costa-Pereira, Altamiro, Guénel, Pascal, Jöckel, Karl-Heinz, Gonzalez, Agustin Llopis, Merletti, Franco, Suárez-Varela, Maria Morales, Trétarre, Brigitte, Wingren, Gun, Richiardi, Lorenzo, Sabroe, Svend
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Netherlands Elsevier Ltd 01.08.2019; Elsevier Limited; Elsevier
• Subjects: Adult; Age; Aged; Alcohol; Alcohol Drinking - adverse effects; Alcohol use; Beer; Cancer; Cancer and Oncology; Cancer och onkologi; Case-Control Studies; Case-control study; Clinical Medicine; Colon cancer; Colorectal cancer; Epidemiology; Female; Health Sciences; Humans; Hälsovetenskap; Klinisk medicin; Life Sciences; Male; Medical and Health Sciences; Medicin och hälsovetenskap; Middle Aged; Pathology; Risk Factors; Smoking; Thymoma; Thymoma - etiology; Thymus cancer; Tobacco; Tobacco smoking; Tobacco Smoking - adverse effects; Tumors; Wine; Sweden; Denmark; Italy; France; Portugal; Germany; Spain; Alcohol; Case-control study; Thymoma; Thymus cancer; Risk factors; Tobacco smoking
• ISSN: 1877-7821; 1877-783X; 1877-783X
• DOI: 10.1016/j.canep.2019.06.008

•Data is presented from the first analytical epidemiologic study on thymoma ever performed•A statistically significant risk for thymoma was demonstrated among heavy smokers•A high consumption of spirits was also significantly associated with the risk of thymoma Hardly anything is known about the aetiology of thymoma. This paper presents data regarding tobacco smoking and alcohol consumption in relation to thymoma from the first case-control study performed on this rare tumour. A European multi-centre case-control study including incident cases aged 35–69 years with thymoma between 1995 and 1997, was conducted in seven countries. A set of controls, used in seven parallel case-control studies by the same research group was used, including population-based controls from five countries and hospital controls with colon cancer from two countries. Altogether 103 cases, accepted by a reference pathologist, 712 colon cancer controls, and 2071 population controls were interviewed. Tobacco smoking was moderately related with thymoma (OR 1.4, 95% CI 0.9–2.2), and a tendency to dose-response was shown (p = 0.04), with an increased risk for heavy smokers defined as ≥41 pack-years (OR 2.1, 95% CI 1.1–3.9). A high consumption of spirits defined as ≥25 g of alcohol per day was associated with an increased risk of thymoma (OR 2.4, 95% CI 1.1–5.4), whereas no association was found with beer or wine. Tobacco smoking and a high intake of spirits were indicated as risk factors for thymoma.