Coffee consumption and risk of esophageal cancer incidence: A meta-analysis of epidemiologic studies

BACKGROUND: In epidemiologic studies, association between coffee consumption and esophageal cancer risk is inconsistent. OBJECTIVE: The aim of tjis study was to evaluate the effect of coffee on esophageal cancer by combining several similar studies. METHODS: We conducted a meta-analysis for association of coffee intake and esophageal cancer incidence. Eleven studies, including 457,010 participants and 2628 incident cases, were identified. A relative risk (RR, for cohort study) or odds ratio (OR, for case–control study) of heavy coffee drinkers was calculated, compared with light coffee drinkers or non-drinkers. The analysis was also stratified by cancer types (esophageal squamous cell carcinoma and esophageal adenocarcinoma), sex, and geographic region. RESULTS: The summarized OR of having esophageal cancer in heavy coffee drinkers was 0.93 (95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.73–1.12), compared with light coffee drinkers. When stratified by sex, pathologic type of esophageal cancer, and type of epidemiologic study, we did not find any association of coffee consumption and esophageal cancer incidence. However, an inverse association between coffee consumption and incidence of esophageal cancer was found in East Asia participants with OR of 0.64 (95% CI: 0.44–0.83), but not in Euro-America participants (OR = 1.05; 95% CI: 0.81–1.29). CONCLUSION: There is a protective role of coffee consumption against esophageal cancer in East Asians, but not in Euro-Americans.