Fiber intake and pancreatic cancer risk: a case-control study

Background: Scanty and inconsistent studies are available on the relation between dietary fiber intake and pancreatic cancer. A case-control study was carried out in northern Italy to further investigate the role of various types of dietary fibers in the etiology of pancreatic cancer. Patients and methods: Cases were 326 patients with incident pancreatic cancer, excluding neuroendocrine tumors, admitted to major teaching and general hospitals during 1991-2008. Controls were 652 patients admitted for acute, nonneoplastic conditions to the same hospital network of cases. Information was elicited using a validated food frequency questionnaire. Odds ratios (ORs) and the corresponding 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were estimated for intake quintiles of different types of fiber after allowance for total energy intake and other potential confounding factors. Results: Total fiber intake was inversely related to risk of pancreatic cancer (OR = 0.4 for highest versus lowest quintile of intake; 95% CI 0.2-0.7). An inverse association emerged between pancreatic cancer and both soluble (OR = 0.4; 95% CI 0.2-0.7) and total insoluble fiber (OR = 0.5; 95% CI 0.3-0.8), particularly cellulose (OR = 0.4; 95% CI 0.3-0.7) and lignin (OR = 0.5; 95% CI 0.3-0.9). Fruit fiber intake was inversely associated with pancreatic cancer (OR = 0.5; 95% CI 0.3-0.8), whereas grain fiber was not (OR = 1.2; 95% CI 0.7-2.0). Conclusions: This study suggests that selected types of fiber and total fiber are inversely related to pancreatic cancer.