Contrary to previous research, postmenopausal women are not more vulnerable than men to alcohol-induced carcinogenesis in the oral cavity, according to a new study in Oral Oncology (May 5, 2011).
While it has been well documented that alcohol consumption is a strong risk factor for oral cancer, "an ambiguous biphasic impact of moderate and excessive alcohol intake on the risk of upper aerodigestive tract cancers" also has been published, according to researchers from Semmelweis University in Budapest.
To clarify the dose-related risk of alcohol consumption for oral cancer in men and women, they studied 608 nonsmoker patients (466 males and 142 females) with squamous cell oral carcinomas and 406 nonsmoker tumor-free controls (264 males and 142 females). The researchers recorded the drinking habits of both groups, dividing them into abstinent, moderate, and excessive consumers of alcohol. Blood glucose levels in male and female cases and the menopausal state of the women also were registered.
The researchers found that while excessive alcohol consumption was a strong risk factor for both sexes, moderate alcohol intake proved to be an oral cancer risk for men but it decreased the risk for women. However, elevated blood glucose levels proved to be a risk factor for the predominantly postmenopausal women but did not affect the oral cancer risk among the men.
These findings suggest that increased insulin sensitivity and higher estrogen levels are advantageous systemic effects of moderate alcohol intake and might reduce the risk for oral carcinoma in postmenopausal women, the researchers concluded.
