Meat consumption and risk of squamous cell carcinoma of the lung: a case-control study in Uruguayan men

In the period 1995-2004, a hospital-based case-control study on meat consumption and squamous cell carcinoma of the lung in men was conducted in Montevideo, Uruguay. The study included 300 cases and 600 controls, frequency matched on age and residence. The results showed that total meat [odds ratio (OR) = 1.72, 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.05-2.81, P value for trend = 0.03], red meat (OR = 1.82, 95% CI: 1.13-2.91, P value for trend = 0.01), beef consumption (OR = 2.22, 95% CI: 1.42-3.45, P value for trend = 0.0004), bacon (OR = 1.50, 95% CI: 1.00-2.24, P value for trend = 0.03), saucisson (OR = 1.69, 95% CI: 1.07-2.67, P value for trend = 0.01), and salted meat intake (OR = 2.70, 95% CI: 1.63-4.46, P value for trend = 0.0001) were positively associated with squamous cell lung cancer. These results are discussed and we suggest that meat consumption could be considered as a strong risk factor for squamous cell lung cancer.