Cancer Res Treat. 2026;58(1):232-241.

The Effect of Alcohol Consumption Behavior Changes on Gastric Cancer Risks Stratified by Sex in South Korea.

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제1저자 최용훈, 장지은 · 교신저자 김나영

PMID 40181740 PMC12800938 DOI 10.4143/crt.2024.591 IF 4.2 소화기내과

소속 (4)

Department of Internal Medicine and Research Center for Sex- and Gender-Specific Medicine, Seoul National University Bundang Hospital, Seongnam, Korea.
Division of Clinical Research, Research Institute, National Cancer Center, Goyang, Korea.
Department of Internal Medicine, Daegu Catholic University School of Medicine, Daegu, Korea.
Department of Internal Medicine and Liver Research Institute, Seoul National University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea.

Abstract

PURPOSE The effect of behavior changes in alcohol drinking on gastric cancer (GC) development, and the sex differences in those effects have not yet been fully elucidated. This study investigated the effect of behavior changes in alcohol drinking on the GC risk by sex.

MATERIALS AND METHODS The cohort consisted of 310,192 Koreans (≥ 40 years) from the National Health Insurance Service-Health Screening Cohort with a median follow-up period of 12 years. Subjects were classified according to alcohol consumption behavior changes (non-drinker, quitter, reducer, sustainer, and increaser). The independent effect of changes in alcohol drinking patterns or concurrent effect of alcohol on GC risk were evaluated using the Cox proportional hazard regression.

RESULTS In males, non-drinkers showed a lower risk of developing GC (hazard ratio [HR], 0.91; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.84 to 0.98), whereas increasers showed a higher risk of GC than sustainers (HR, 1.11; 95% CI, 1.02 to 1.20). Starting to drink alcohol, even at a mild level, was associated with an increased GC risk, while a decreased GC risk was induced when alcohol consumption dose decreases to a mild from a moderate level among males. However, in females, only substantial change of alcohol consumption dose from non- to heavy-drinking was associated with increased GC risk (HR, 1.97; 95% CI, 0.98 to 3.96).

CONCLUSION These results suggest that alcohol abstinence can reduce the risk of developing GC, particularly among males.

Keywords

Alcohol abstinencePrimary preventionSex characteristicsStomach neoplasms

Figures

**Fig. 1.** Study scheme. (A) Flowchart of study subject selection. (B) Time points to measure alcohol consumption behavior change and to start follow-up. The orange box indicates the period to measure alcohol consumption frequency and dose in 2002. For subjects whose alcohol consumption behavior was measured in 2002, their alcohol consumption behaviors after change were measured during 2005-2006 (red box). For subjects whose alcohol consumption behavior before change was measured in 2003, the measurement periods before and after the change were defined as the green and blue boxes. The follow-up was designated to begin at the time of the last alcohol consumption behavior (red arrow line). NHIS-HEALS, National Health Insurance Service-National Health Screening Cohort.

**Fig. 2.** Gastric cancer risk depending on alcohol consumption behavior change and sex. (A) Gastric cancer risk according to alcohol consumption behavior change between 2002-2003 and 2005-2007 among males. (B) Gastric cancer risk according to alcohol consumption behavior change between 2002-2003 and 2005-2007 among females. CI, confidence interval; HR, hazard ratio. An asterisk (*) indicates statistical significance.

그림 출처: PubMed Central 공개 논문 (PMC12800938)

Conflict of interest statement

Conflicts of Interest . Conflict of interest relevant to this article was not reported.

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