Background: The main risk factors related to oropharyngeal cancer (OFC) are tobacco and/or alcohol consumption, infectious agents, especially human papillomavirus, and others like dietary factors. The high intake of fruits, especially citrus fruit, and vegetables protects against OFC, while the consumption of processed meat and animal fats increases this risk.
Aim: This study aims to assess the possible influence of the diet on the OFC risk.
Methodology: A search for articles on OFC and diet was performed in the following electronic databases: PubMed (MEDLINE, Cochrane Library), Web of Science (WoS), and Spanish Medical Index (IME). From 125 potentially eligible articles, 111 were excluded for several reasons: Articles without full-text availability (45), studies with a sample size fewer than 100 subjects (16), studies in tumors with a location other than oral cavity and pharynx (11), studies carried out on patients with potentially malignant disorders (4), and studies without usable data (35). Finally, 14 studies were included in this meta-analysis. The data were analyzed using statistical software RevMan 5.3 (The Cochrane Collaboration, Oxford, UK). For dichotomous outcomes, the estimates of effects of an intervention were expressed as odds ratio (OR) using the Mantel-Haenszel (M-H) method with 95% confidence intervals.
Results: High consumption of the following foods reduced the probability of OFC: Vegetables (49%, P < 0.001), fruits (47%, P < 0.001), carrots (34%, P < 0.01), and pulses (13%, P = 0.02), but not significantly for fish (11%, P = 0.39) and dairy products (8%, P = 0.62). On the contrary, there was an increased risk of OFC with the consumption of bread (OR: 1.42, P < 0.01) or meat (OR: 1.36, P < 0.01), but not significantly for eggs (OR: 1.50, P = 0.10), pasta (OR: 1.24, P = 0.44), potatoes (OR: 1.12, P = 0.44), and cheese (OR: 1.12, P=0.61).
Conclusions: The consumption of vegetables, fruits, and pulses was foods with a protective effect against OFC.
Clinical significance: Dietary changes toward a healthier diet are an effective measure to prevent OFC.
Keywords: Case–control studies, Diet, Food, Mouth neoplasms, Risk factors
How to cite this article: Rodriguez-Archilla A, Calderer-
Ortiz M. Influence of diet on oropharyngeal cancer: A metaanalysis.
Int Dent Med J Adv Res 2020;6:1-5.
Received 12 April 2020;
Accepted 05 July 2020