Consumption of food groups and the risk of pancreatic cancer: a case-control study

The purpose of this study is to investigate whether the consumption of specific food groups predicts the risk of pancreatic cancer, a case-control study of nutrition and pancreatic cancer among French-Canadians was carried out in Montreal, Quebec, Canada.

A total of 179 pancreatic cancer cases (97 males and 82 females) and 239 population-based control subjects were interviewed. Dietary intake was evaluated via a validated food frequency questionnaire that gathers information on over 200 different food items and beverages. Odd ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were computed by unconditional logistic regression.

After adjustment for age, smoking, diabetes status, proxy interview, gender and total energy intake, a reduced risk of pancreatic cancer was related to vegetables and vegetable products [OR = 0.47; 95%CI: (0.21-1.06) p-trend = 0.024], while an increased risk was associated with the consumption of lamb, veal and game [OR = 2.24; 95%CI: (1.11-4.52) p-trend = 0.026], when the upper and lower quartiles of intake were compared. Changes in dietary intake over the last decade revealed an elevated risk with augmented consumption of soups, sauces and gravies [OR = 2.32; 95%CI: (1.20-4.49) p-trend=0.03], beef products [OR = 2.07; 95%CI: (0.95-4.51) p-trend=0.05] as well as fish and shellfish [OR = 1.48; 95%CI: (0.78-2.80) p-trend=0.05].

These findings suggest that a diet rich in vegetables and vegetable products may decrease the risk of pancreatic cancer.