Coffee, tea, and melanoma risk among postmenopausal women

Abstract

Laboratory research suggests that components in coffee and tea may have anticarcinogenic effects. Some epidemiologic studies have reported that women who consume coffee and tea have a lower risk for melanoma. We assessed coffee, tea, and melanoma risk prospectively in the Women's Health Initiative - Observational Study cohort of 66,484 postmenopausal women, followed for an average of 7.7 years. Coffee and tea intakes were measured through self-administered questionnaires at baseline and at year 3 of follow-up. Self-reported incident melanomas were adjudicated using medical records. Cox proportional hazard models were used to estimate risk, adjusting for covariates, with person-time accumulation until melanoma diagnosis (n=398), death, loss to follow-up, or through 2005. Daily coffee [hazard ratio (HR)=0.87, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.68-1.12] and tea (HR=1.03, 95% CI 0.81-1.31) intakes were not significantly associated with melanoma risk compared with nondaily intake of each beverage. No significant trends were observed between melanoma risk and increasing intakes of coffee (P for trend=0.38) or tea (P for trend=0.22). Women who reported daily coffee intake at both baseline and year 3 had a significantly decreased risk compared with women who reported nondaily intake at both time points (HR=0.68, 95% CI 0.48-0.97). Consistent daily tea intake was not associated with decreased melanoma risk. Overall, there is no strong evidence that increasing coffee or tea consumption can lead to a lower melanoma risk. We observed a decrease in melanoma risk among long-term coffee drinkers, but the lack of consistency in the results by dose and type cautioned against overinterpretation of the results.

Coffee, tea and melanoma risk: findings from the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition

“…Remarkably, and in contrast to our findings, the inverse association between caffeinated coffee and melanoma risk was limited to malignancies arising on body sites with continuous sun exposure (head, neck, and extremities) in the Nurses’ Health Study [19]. Finally, findings from prospective cohort studies are largely consistent with our finding of a null association between tea drinking and melanoma risk [15,18]. …”

“…No association between consumption of coffee (any type, filtered or boiled) and melanoma risk emerged in the Västerbotten Intervention Project cohort in Sweden [17]. Likewise, there was no evidence of an effect of coffee drinking on melanoma risk among women enrolled in the Women’s Health Initiative Observational Study, except for a reduced risk among long-term coffee drinkers [18]. Instead, study participants in the highest category of coffee consumption in the US NIH-AARP (National Institutes of Health – American Association of Retired Persons) cohort had a lower melanoma risk compared to non-coffee drinkers [20].…”

“…We do not have any information on patterns of exposure to UV radiation either. However, in previous investigations, no association was reported between coffee consumption and behavioural risk factors for melanoma (except for sunscreen use) in the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) in the US [20], and the adjustment for sunlight-related variables did not appreciably affect the association between coffee and tea consumption and the risk of melanoma in the Women’s Health Initiative Observational Study [18] and in the Norwegian Women and Cancer Study [35]. We lack information on the concentration of bioactive compounds (such as caffeine, polyphenols and diterpens) in coffee and tea, and on the many factors affecting it, such as the coffee brewing methods and the type (black or green) and preferred drinking temperature of coffee and tea, all of which vary greatly across European countries (with Northern populations drinking large quantities of fairly diluted coffee, and Southern populations consuming a comparatively smaller amount of strong coffee, like espresso).…”

“…14 The hypothesis that coffee and tea consumption is protective against melanoma has been tested in several epidemiological studies, with conflicting results. [15][16][17][18][19][20] Despite some evidence of an inverse association between consumption What's new? Laboratory studies suggest that coffee and tea protect against melanoma, but epidemiological findings are inconsistent.…”

Chemoprevention agents for melanoma: A path forward into phase 3 clinical trials

“…Green tea was not differentiated from black tea in this study. Wu et al 126 evaluated melanoma incidence in the Women’s Health Initiative, a prospective observational study of a cohort of 66,484 postmenopausal women. Three hundred ninety-eight cases of melanoma were reported in this group, with an average follow-up of 7.7 years.…”