Coffee and Pancreatic Cancer (Chapter 2)

A letter to the editor presents and discusses supplementary data developed in a multi-year case-control study of the possible association between coffee intake and pancreatic cancer risk. Data are presented on the differences in daily coffee consumption between sexes in patients and controls 10 years before diagnosis, and on the differences in total cumulative cups of regular, decaffeinated, and all types of coffee consumed by patients and controls. Estimates of risk ratios as a function of coffee intake are presented with both of these data sets. Although there was a slight increase in risk associated with the heaviest coffee consumption, no differences in risks were found between sexes at any coffee intake level. Furthermore, no significant difference in risk was found between consumption of regular vs. decaffeinated coffee, suggesting the lack of correlation between coffee consumption and pancreatic cancer risk. Hence, the findings of this study do not support earlier reports of such a correlation.(wz)