Alcohol use and mortality in the Japan Collaborative Cohort Study for Evaluation of Cancer (JACC).

Alcohol use was examined for its influence on mortality in the Japan Collaborative Cohort. While overall risk of death, as well as ischemic heart disease, were reduced with moderate consumption, increase was noted with heavy intake, even after cessation. With heavy consumption, overall cancers were also increased. In males, risk of oesophageal cancer was particularly elevated and risk of liver and renal cancer was found to be increased in ex-drinkers. Heavy consumption appears to be also a risk factor for rectal and gallbladder cancer. Furthermore, cerebrovascular disease was increased with dose-dependence.

Smoking and mortality in the Japan Collaborative Cohort Study for Evaluation of Cancer (JACC).

In the JACC study, risk of death with all cancers and all causes was found to be increased with active smoking,with and without dose-dependence, respectively. Death from both of the circulatory diseases was also adversely affected. The younger the age at commencing the habit, the greater the effect, with diminution after cessation. Regarding particular cancers, strong evidence was noted for the esophagus, liver, pancreas, lung and urothelium. Also links were apparent with gastric and gallbladder cancers and the breast in female ex-smokers. With passive smoking, the data were equivocal.

Risk factors for multiple myeloma: evidence from the Japan Collaborative Cohort (JACC) study.

This study assessed the association of multiple myeloma (MM) with age, body mass index (BMI, kg/m(2)), physical activity, occupational history, and medical history for a Japanese cohort of 46,157 men and 63,541 women aged 40-79 years followed during 1988-2003 years. Cox proportional hazard model was mainly used to estimate the age and sex adjusted hazard ratio (HR) of MM including 95% confidence interval (CI) for both sexes. Same model, adjusted for age, was also used for each sex. In total, 98 MM deaths (men=49 and women=49) was observed for both sexes. Higher age groups (60-69 and 70-79 years) experienced significantly higher unadjusted HR of MM than the age group of 40-49 years. Men revealed significantly higher age-adjusted MM than women (HR=1.5; 95% CI=1.0-2.2). For both sexes, higher BMI of >or=30 kg/m(2)) (HR=2.8; 95% CI=1.0-7.7), walking <or=30 minutes/day (HR=2.0; 95% CI=1.2-3.4), worried about personal relationship in working place (HR=2.3; 95% CI=1.3-4.2), restricted own pace in working place (HR=1.9; 95% CI=1.0-3.4), and history of peptic ulcer (HR=1.7; 95% CI=1.0-2.7) significantly increased age and sex adjusted MM risk. Some of the above-mentioned significant associations became insignificant for age adjusted sex specific analyses. However, these findings should be validated by further epidemiologic studies in Japan before generalization.