Alcohol as a primary risk factor in oral squamous carcinoma

This case-control study investigates the role of alcohol as a primary risk factor in the development of oral cancer. A total of 181 patients diagnosed as having squamous carcinoma of the oral cavity were interviewed, and 497 controls. The relative risk for drinkers adjusted for smoking was 3.3, 15.2, and 10.6 for those who drank less than six, six to nine, and 10 or more whiskey equivalents (WEs) a day, respectively. The relative risk for smokers adjusted for drinking rose only from 3.2 to 4.5 to 5.0 for smokers of 10 to 19, 20 to 39, and 40 or more cigarettes a day, respectively. Beer/wine drinkers had much higher relative risks than the whiskey drinkers. The adjusted relative risk for whiskey drinkers consuming 10 or more WEs a day was 7.3; the adjusted relative risk for beer/wine drinkers consuming 10 or more WEs a day was 20.4. These results indicate that drinkers of six or more WEs a day may be at greater risk than smokers of 40 or more cigarettes a day, and that beer and wine may be greater risk factors than whiskey in the development of oral cancer.