Dietary patterns and oesophageal squamous cell carcinoma: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Dietary patterns, which represent a complex integration of food and nutrients, have been used to explore the association between dietary factors and the risk of oesophageal cancer. However, the association remains unclear. This systematic review was performed to evaluate the relationship between dietary patterns and oesophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) by pooling available data from existing studies.

Pertinent articles published up to the end of 2013 were systematically searched and retrieved. The most common dietary patterns with high loadings of foods/nutrients were selected. Adjusted odds ratios (ORs) were derived by comparing the highest with the lowest categories of dietary pattern scores and by using a random-effect model. Heterogeneity was tested using I(2) statistic.

From nine available case-control studies, in which smoking and other confounding factors were considered, three most common dietary patterns were selected: western pattern, healthy pattern, and drinker/alcohol pattern. Healthy pattern was significantly associated with a decreased risk of ESCC (OR=0.36, 95% confidence interval (CI): 0.23, 0.49); drinker/alcohol pattern was related to a significantly increased risk (OR=2.34, 95% CI: 1.22, 3.45), while no significant association with western pattern was observed (OR=1.29, 95% CI: 0.83, 1.75).

Based on available studies, though limited in number, this meta-analysis suggests that some dietary patterns may be associated with the risk of ESCC.