Risk factors for adenocarcinoma of the small intestine

We have investigated the relation between alcohol, tobacco and dietary habi ts and risk of adenocarcinoma of the small intestine using data from 2 hosp ital-based case control studies on intestinal cancers conducted in 6 Italia n centres between 1985 and 1996. Cases were 23 patients below age 75 years with adenocarcinoma of the small intestine. Controls were 230 patients admi tted to hospital for a wide spectrum of acute, non-neoplastic, non-digestiv e tract diseases, matched to cases on sex, age, study and centre. Odds rati os (ORs) were estimated using conditional logistic regression. Alcohol and tobacco consumption did not increase the risk of adenocarcinoma of the smal l intestine. The risk appeared to be directly related to intake of bread, p asta or rice (OR = 3.8), sugar (OR = 2.9) and red meat (OR = 4.6), and inve rsely to coffee (OR = 0.4), fish (OR = 0.3), vegetables (OR = 0.3) and frui t (OR 0.6). Our results suggest that dietary correlates of adenocarcinoma o f the small intestine are similar to those of colon cancer and at least of the same magnitude. While the present data are inconsistent with a major ef fect of tobacco or alcohol, a moderate association between these factors an d small bowel cancer may have been obscured by the play of chance. (C) 1999 Wiley-Liss, Inc.