History of cirrhosis and risk of digestive tract neoplasms

Cirrhosis is strongly related to liver cancer. Data on the possible association between cirrhosis and risk at other cancer sites are scanty.

We analysed data from a network of case-control studies conducted in Italy between 1983 and 1997, including patients with cancers of the oral cavity and pharynx (520), oesophagus (405), stomach (731), colon (943), rectum (613), liver (425), gallbladder (63) and pancreas (395). The controls were 4297 patients admitted to hospitals for acute non-neoplastic conditions.

After strict allowance for alcohol drinking, tobacco smoking and history of hepatitis, the multivariate odds ratios for a history of cirrhosis were 4.7 [95% confidence interval (CI) 2.2-9.8] for neoplasms of the oral cavity and pharynx, 2.6 (95% CI 1.2-5.7) for the oesophagus, 1.0 (95% CI 0.4-2.5) for the stomach, 1.0 (95% CI 0.4-2.4) for the colon, 1.7 (95% CI 0.7-4.1) for the rectum, 20.5 (95% CI 12.3-34.2) for the liver, 2.1 (95% CI 0.3-16.8) for the gallbladder and 0.9 (95% CI 0.3-3.0) for the pancreas.

Our study confirms and further quantifies the increased risk of liver cancer in cirrhotic patients and is compatible with an increased risk of oral, pharyngeal and oesophageal cancers.