Socioeconomic inequalities in alcohol related cancer mortality among men: to what extent do they differ between Western European populations?

Full Abstract

We aim to study socioeconomic inequalities in alcohol related cancers mortality [upper aerodigestive tract (UADT) (oral cavity, pharynx, larynx, oesophagus and liver)] in men and to investigate whether the contribution of these cancers to socioeconomic inequalities in cancer mortality differs within Western Europe. We used longitudinal mortality datasets, including causes of death. Data were collected during the 1990s among men aged 30-74 years in 13 European populations [Madrid, the Basque region, Barcelona, Turin, Switzerland (German and Latin part), France, Belgium (Walloon and Flemish part, Brussels), Norway, Sweden, Finland]. Socioeconomic status was measured using the educational level declared at the census at the beginning of the follow-up period. We conducted Poisson regression analyses and used both relative [Relative index of inequality (RII)] and absolute (mortality rates difference) measures of inequality. For UADT cancers, the RII's were above 3.5 in France, Switzerland (both parts) and Turin whereas for liver cancer they were the highest (around 2.5) in Madrid, France and Turin. The contribution of alcohol related cancer to socioeconomic inequalities in cancer mortality was 29-36% in France and the Spanish populations, 17-23% in Switzerland and Turin, and 5-15% in Belgium and the Nordic countries. We did not observe any correlation between mortality rates differences for lung and UADT cancers, confirming that the pattern found for UADT cancers is not only due to smoking. This study suggests that alcohol use substantially influences socioeconomic inequalities in male cancer mortality in France, Spain and Switzerland but not in the Nordic countries and nor in Belgium.Copyright (c) 2007 Wiley-Liss, Inc.

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Author information

Author/s: Menvielle, Gwenn (G); Kunst, Anton E (AE); Stirbu, Irina (I); Borrell, Carme (C); Bopp, Matthias (M); Regidor, Enrique (E); Heine Strand, Bjørn (B); Deboosere, Patrick (P); Lundberg, Olle (O); Leclerc, Annette (A); Costa, Giuseppe (G); Chastang, Jean-Francois (JF); Esnaola, Santiago (S); Martikainen, Pekka (P); Mackenbach, Johan P (JP);

Affiliation: Department of Public Health, Erasmus MC, University Medical Center Rotterdam, Rotterdam, The Netherlands. g.menvielle(-atsign-)eramusmc.nl

Journal and publication information

Publication Type: Journal Article; Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

Journal: International journal of cancer. Journal international du cancer (Int J Cancer), published in United States. (Language: eng)

Reference: 2007-Aug; vol 121 (issue 3) : pp 649-55

Dates: Created 2007/05/31; Completed 2007/08/16;

PMID: 17415714, status: MEDLINE (last retrieval date: 12/26/2008)

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MeSH headings (categories)

This article was linked to the MESH Headings shown below.

Adult
Aged
Alcohol Drinking
Digestive System Neoplasms - epidemiology
Educational Status
Europe - epidemiology
Humans
Liver Neoplasms - epidemiology

Liver Neoplasms - epidemiology
Lung Neoplasms - epidemiology
Male
Middle Aged
Neoplasms - mortality
Respiratory Tract Neoplasms
Smoking - adverse effects
Socioeconomic Factors

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