Alcohol intake and risk of non-Hodgkin lymphoma in men and women

Objective: The effect of alcohol intake on risk of NHL is unclear. We therefore conducted a population-based case-control study to examine the association between alcohol and NHL risk. Methods: 613 NHL cases and 480 population controls in Sweden reported their average consumption of beer, wine, and liquor 2 years before the study. Unconditional logistic regression was used to estimate the odds ratios (OR) and corresponding 95% confidence intervals (CI) for associations between alcohol intake and NHL risk. Results: Intake of total alcohol, beer, wine, or liquor was not associated with risk of overall NHL. There was no difference in risk of NHL among those who habitually consumed above 19.1 g of ethanol per day, compared to those who consumed on average 0-2.2 g of ethanol per day (OR = 1.2 (95% CI: 0.8, 1.7); p(trend) = 0.29). However, the association was significantly positive among males (OR = 1.8 (95% Cl: 1.1, 2.9); p(trend) = 0.06). Total alcohol, beer, wine, or liquor intake was not associated with any major histopathologic subtype of NHL examined, apart from an association between high wine consumption and increased risk of chronic lymphocytic leukemia. Conclusions: Alcohol does not appear to be a major etiologic factor for overall NHL, nor its common subtypes.