Meat and meat-mutagen intake and pancreatic cancer risk in the NIH-AARP cohort. Free

B156

Background: Meat intake, particularly red meat, has been positively associated with pancreatic cancer in some but not all epidemiological studies. Detailed meat cooking methods and related mutagens formed in meat cooked at high temperature have not been evaluated prospectively as risk factors for this malignancy. Methods: We investigated the association between meat, meat cooking methods, and meat mutagen intake and exocrine pancreatic cancer in the NIH-AARP Diet and Health Study (n=566,404). After exclusion of calorie outliers, 537,283 cohort subjects aged 50 to 70 had complete baseline dietary data (1995-96) ascertained from a self-administered diet and health questionnaire. 332,913 subjects completed a meat-cooking module 6 months after baseline. During follow-up though 2000 (up to 5 years), 836 incident pancreatic cancer cases (555 men and 281 women) were identified. 459 cases (291 men and 168 women) had complete meat module data. Results: Total, red, and high temperature cooked meat intake was significantly associated with increased pancreatic cancer risks among men (fifth versus first quintile: HR=1.38, 95% CI 1.06-1.80, p-trend=0.002; HR=1.45, 95% CI 1.08-1.95, p-trend=0.008; and HR=1.57, 95% CI 1.16-2.11, p-trend=0.002, respectively), but not women. Compared to the lowest intake, men demonstrated significant 50% increased risks for highest tertile of grilled/barbecued and broiled meat intake, with a significant doubling of risk for overall meat mutagenic activity (fifth quintile, HR=2.30, 95% CI 1.50-3.54, p-trend=0.002) and a positive trend for the HCA, 2-amino-1-methyl-6-phenylimidazo[4,5-b]pyridine (PhIP, p-trend=0.01). The fifth quintile of the HCA, 2-amino-3,4,8-trimethylimidazo[4,5-f]quinoxaline (DiMeIQx) intake showed a modest 26% increased risk in men and women combined (p-trend=0.01). Conclusion: These findings support the hypothesis that meat intake, particularly meat that is cooked at high temperatures and associated mutagens may play a role in exocrine pancreatic cancer development.