Alcohol consumption and risk of glioblastoma; evidence from the Melbourne Collaborative Cohort Study

Abstract

Despite the brain being highly susceptible to the action of alcohol and, therefore, potentially susceptible to its carcinogenic effects, it is not clear whether alcohol consumption is associated with risk of glioblastoma. We analyzed data from 39,766 participants of the Melbourne Collaborative Cohort Study recruited in 1990-1994 and followed to the end of 2008 for an average of 15 years. Incidence of glioblastoma of the brain was ascertained via linkage to the Victorian and other State cancer registries in Australia. During a structured face-to-face interview at baseline we elicited each participant's history of alcoholic beverage consumption during the current decade at baseline. We used Co..