Cancer incidence in alcoholics cared for in a public university hospital: a report of case series

ABSTRACT

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the incidence of cancer in patients treated in the Alcoholism Outpatient Clinic of the Clinical Hospital of the Federal University of Uberlândia, in the city of Uberlândia, MG, Brazil. METHODS: Medical records of 490 out of 511 patients, treated between January 1995 and December 2006, were reviewed. This search was conducted in the hospital's Medical Archive Service and in the Mortality Information System of the city of Uberlândia's Civil Registry Office.RESULTS: No patients were referred with a confirmed or suspected diagnosis of cancer. Among the 490 patients, 23 (4.7%) developed some form of cancer during the study period. All these were men, with a mean age of 48.7 ± 9.6 years (33 to 65 years), and 18 (78.3%) were smokers. Upper aerodigestive tract cancer was the most frequent (10/23 - 43.5%) and in all of them, the histological type was squamous cell carcinoma; 5 (21.7%) had gastric cancer (adenocarcinoma); 2 (8.7%), lung (carcinoma); 2 (8.7%), liver cancer (hepatocellular carcinoma and cholangiocarcinoma); 2 (8.7%), central nervous system cancer; 1 (4.3%), acute myeloid leukemia (FAB M2); 1 (4.3%), rhabdomyosarcoma; and 1 (4.3%), poorly differentiated carcinoma with undefined primary site.CONCLUSIONS: During the study period, at least 4.7% of patients developed some form of cancer, predominantly in the upper aerodigestive tract. This is an alarming fact, considering that 12.3% of Brazilians aged over 12 years may be dependent on alcohol and another 24% make heavy and/or frequent use of alcoholic beverages.